Foundry last week launched a fixed-configuration, all-fiber switch aimed at letting users aggregate Fast and Gigabit Ethernet links into fat 10G Ethernet pipes.

The FastIron Edge X424F switch could be deployed as an aggregation point for a campus network connected via long-reach fiber, or in metropolitan Ethernet service provider networks offering "fiber to the curb" services. The mostly-fiber switch is primarily aimed at long-distance links, instead of in-building LAN or data center connections.

The box includes 24 small form factor pluggable slots, which can be fitted with Fast or Gigabit Ethernet fiber optical modules, which can reach almost 100 miles in range. The device also includes four additional copper Gigabit Ethernet ports and four fiber-based Gigabit ports for connecting peripheral devices or other switches.

The back of the switch includes slots for a single-port or dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink. These ports use 10 Gigabit Ethernet small form factor pluggable optical insert modules.

Security features of the switch include 802.1X authentication, and support for dynamic virtual LAN (VLAN) and access control list (ACL) traffic assignments; this can let the switch interact with third-party network quarantine agents or other security software, where agents tell the switch to segment traffic to secure segments, or to activate ACLs that block access to certain network protocols or applications.

The FastIron Edge X424F will compete with all-fiber, fixed-configuration switches from 3Com, Allied Telesyn, Cisco and Nortel.

The list price for the X424F is $10,000. A single-port upgrade to 10G Ethernet costs $3,495 and a dual-port 10G upgrade is $5,500. For another $1,000, the box can be upgraded to full Layer 3 switching, with support for RIP, OSPF, BGP and other protocols. The switch will be available in August.

Foundry's grip on the Layer 3 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch market slipped last year, as the vendor's share of worldwide revenue from the technology fell from 38% in 2003 to 13.5% in 2004, according to Synergy Research Group. Observers say while Foundry's 10G technology was popular with niche customers when 10G was first emerging, as 10G has become more broadly adopted, mainstream users interested in the technology are turning to Cisco - which leads the entire Ethernet switch market with 70% market share.