14 | The SwitchBlade x908 8-slot industry-leading modular compact switch is the ideal solution for the small to medium modern enterprise network core where reliability, resiliency, and high performance are the key requirements. Advanced Operating System The SwitchBlade x908 features the AlliedWare Plus operating system, which combines superior networking functionality and strong management capabilities with the exceptional performance that today’s networks demand. As a standards-based implementation, it also assures full interoperability with other major network equipment, and features enhanced usability for a superior customer experience. Virtual Chassis Stacking (VCStackTM ) VCStack provides excellent resiliency by creating a single “virtual chassis” from two SwitchBlade x908 physical devices, using dedicated high-speed stacking links. VCStack provides a highly available system where network resources are spread out across stacked units, reducing the impact should one of the stacked units fail. Switch ports may be aggregated on different units, for high availability. VCStack delivers a resilient solution at a fraction of the cost of a full chassis-based system, and the stack may be managed as a single network node, greatly simplifying management tasks. Active-Active Architecture The Active-Active architecture allows two SwitchBlade x908 chassis to be inter-connected via a passive 160Gbps rear panel connector, allowing the two switches to communicate. This architecture ensures that edge devices, which are connected to both switches, can continue to operate even in the event of a single SwitchBlade x908 failure. This architecture, unlike some competitive Active-Redundant architectures, ensures users achieve the full 100% utilization of their purchased network components for the maximum time, thus decreasing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Ethernet Protection Switched Rings (EPSRingTM ) The use of the SwitchBlade x908, in conjunction with other EPSRing- enabled devices, provides a 10Gbps high-bandwidth resilient ring backbone capable of providing sub 50ms failover. This architecture is perfect for the backbone core of any enterprise or service provider network, as it allows nearly hit-free networking to be accomplished, and is suitable for the delivery of voice, video, and data. Allied Telesis Management Framework (AMF) AMF is a sophisticated suite of management tools that simplifies network management. The SwitchBlade x908 can act as an AMF Master (license required), to control a network of AMF nodes and provide a central point for network management and configuration backups. High Availability The SwitchBlade x908 was designed with reliability in mind. With dual power supplies, fan modules, and a comprehensive range of expansion modules (XEMs) — all hot-swappable — the network can be maintained and reconfigured when necessary without affecting uptime. Scalable The SwitchBlade x908 supports up to eight XEM expansion modules, allowing the user to change the configuration of his network as needed. Each SwitchBlade x908 can support up to 192 Gigabit ports or up to 16 x 10GbE ports, while stacking two chassis, to build a resilient core that doubles the number of ports. SwitchBlade® x908 ADVANCED LAYER 3 MODULAR COMPACT SWITCH