Routers/Switches /

Extreme box offers branch offices LAN/WAN options

By Phil Hochmuth
Network World, 11/12/01

SANTA CLARA - Extreme Networks last week introduced a box that offers a mix of WAN and LAN capabilities that could let remote branch customers simplify their environments by supporting routing and switching technologies in a single box.

Extreme's low-end addition to its Alpine switch family, the 3802, could be used as an all-in-one box for LAN and WAN connectivity in an enterprise branch or as central premises equipment in a metropolitan service provider's network. The combination of LAN and WAN ports crunched into a single box helps users reduce the amount of equipment needed to deploy and manage at a remote site.

The Alpine 3802 is a four-slot chassis designed to connect an enterprise branch office to a main site over several types of WAN links. The box supports Extreme's T-1, E-1 and T-3 blades for traditional telephone company WAN connectivity.

These blades also include technology based on the IEEE's emerging 802.3h standard for last-mile Ethernet. By running Ethernet over T-1 or DS-3 links in the last mile, information such as Layer 2 quality of service and virtual LAN tags can be maintained across a WAN, Extreme says.

The box can also be fitted with any LAN modules for the larger Alpine 3804 or 3808 chassis, such as 24- and 32-port 10/100 blades, and four-port 1000Base-T blades. Fiber-based Fast and Gigabit Ethernet modules are also available for connecting the switch to services from a metropolitan Ethernet service provider, or over dark fiber in a private metropolitan-area network.

For a more basic deployment, the Alpine 3802 could be installed in an enterprise wiring closet as a workgroup connectivity switch with Gigabit Ethernet uplinks to a LAN backbone.

For connecting clients in buildings without Category 5 network cabling, a very-high bit rate DSL (VDSL) module can also be added. This module can provide 10M bit/sec network connectivity to end users in an office over telephone wiring.

Outfitting the Alpine 3802 for a WAN or LAN deployment could involve playing a bit of musical modules. The box can be run in two modes - standard and extended, depending on the deployment. In standard mode, two of the three payload slots are active and can accept any Alpine family LAN switching module. In extended mode, all three slots are active, but only one can accept any Alpine Ethernet module; the other two slots can accept T-1, E-1, T-3 or VDSL blades. Extreme says standard mode is intended for a LAN wiring closet configuration, while extended mode is geared for wide-area or service provider deployments.

Competitors of the Alpine 3802 that offer switching and routing for remote offices include Cisco's Catalyst 4224 Access Gateway Switch and Vertical Networks' line of InstantOffice products. However, the Alpine provides VDSL and more support for Gigabit Ethernet than the Cisco and Vertical products, but less telephony and voice-over-IP support.

The Alpine 3802 is available now for $8,000.

Extreme: www.extremenetworks.com