Specifications
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Extreme Distributed Top-of-Rack:
Creating the Latency-
Reduced Network
The VSP 7200 is an integral component of our Fabric
Connect strategy for end-to-end Shortest Path Bridging-
based virtualized network. We are able to leverage the
Fabric Connect technology to flexibly mesh multiple VSP
7200s to deliver multi-hop, low-latency for deployment
scenarios that call for massive scale-out.
Extreme has architected the Distributed ToR solution to
scale up to many hundreds of Switches within a single
domain, with the current implementation supporting up
to 512 Switches networked as a single logic Fabric. This
capability delivers scale of up to 24,576 wire-speed 10
Gigabit Ethernet ports, and up to 3,072 ports of 40 Gigabit,
equating to a virtual backplane capacity of 122.88Tbps. An
agile building-block approach delivers extreme flexibility,
with no hard-and-fast topology constraints; blocks can be
small or large, and individual Switches easily interconnected
with extended-reach copper or fiber cabling.
Extreme Switch Cluster: Improving
Resiliency, Enhancing Availability
Extreme Networks' Switch Cluster is a pioneering high-
availability technology. Creating a single, unified, logical Core
from two physically independent Switches—clustering
them — ensures that no one single point-of-failure can
disrupt dual/multi-homed connectivity.
The Switch Cluster technology is built using the Split Multi-
Link Trunking protocol that is unique to our products, yet
is fully interoperable with third party Switches, Servers,
Appliances, and Routers.
Extreme’s Switch Cluster technology delivers a level
of network resiliency that also facilitates in-service
maintenance. The deterministic nature of Switch Cluster
empowers network operators to compartmentalize the
network, making essential services even more resilient, and
allowing for individual failures to be repaired in real-time,
without service restoration work impacting on collateral
components or applications.
Extreme Fabric Connect:
Replacing Complexity
with Capability
Traditionally, to provision new services or to change existing
ones, engineers are required to touch every device in the
service path, configuring every device to enable both the
active and redundant links. The bigger the network the
more complex and risky this becomes.
The Extreme Fabric Connect technology is based on an
extended implementation of the Shortest Path Bridging
(SPB) standards of IEEE 802.1aq and IETF RFC 6329,
augmented with custom enhancements that deliver
Enterprise-specific optimization. It oers the ability to
create a simplified network that can dynamically virtualize
elements to empower ecient provisioning and utilization
of resources. This can reduce the strain on the network and
IT personnel.
Fabric Connect has garnered a well-earned reputation for
simplifying how networks are built and improving how they
are run. Independent research reports that Fabric Connect
deployments feature up to 91% less implementation time,
up to 66% change less wait time, and an 85% reduction
in both configuration and troubleshooting times. Similarly,
Fabric Connect delivers enhanced resiliency, with failover
times more than 2,500x better, and outages caused by
human error virtually eliminated.
Extreme Fabric Attach:
The Missing Link for
Service Automation
Extreme has developed Fabric Attach, a standards-based
capability that facilitates the automatic attachment of end-
point devices. Businesses can leverage Fabric Attach to
dynamically deploy end-points.
Fabric Attach streamlines the deployment of networking
devices, compute resources and Internet of Things (IoT)
end-point devices delivering substantial operational
benefits. End-point devices can be deployed in real-
time, without the need for IT intervention and manual
configuration.
Replacing static network device configuration with dynamic
programming reduces overall complexity in the network
and has a corresponding benefit in reducing the risk
of outage.
1
Dr Cherry Taylor, Fabric Connect Customer Experience Research Report, Dynamic Markets, 2015. This report details quantitative and qualitative research
with IT professionals in companies that have implemented Extreme Networks this technology.