AMS-IX and Limelight Networks Field-Test Brocade 100 Gigabit Ethernet Technology to Stay Ahead of Internet Growth

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates– 9 June, 2011: Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), one of the world’s largest Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), and Limelight Networks, the world’s leading content delivery network (CDN) for thousands of entertainment, technology, enterprise and government entities, have field-tested 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) technology from Brocade with live Internet traffic. The field test with Limelight Networks illustrated how AMS-IX’s 100 GbE-based service will deliver a new dimension to the peering model.

AMS-IX supports more than 430 member companies that generate more than 1.3 Terabits per second (Tbps) of peak Internet traffic per day, including diverse types of IP traffic such as data, video and voice. Limelight Networks’ content delivery and cloud-based solutions enable thousands of customers to profit from the shift of content and advertising to the online world; the explosive growth of mobile and connected devices; and the migration of IT applications and services to the cloud.

In the last ten years, worldwide Internet penetration has grown at more than 480 percent, placing enormous pressure on IXPs and CDNs to keep pace with demand. Adding to this burden is the type of bandwidth-hungry content being accessed. Video and TV streaming will soon surpass Web and Internet traffic and, by 2016, contribute the bulk of the 60,000 Petabytes (Pb) of annual Internet traffic. The enhanced Brocade® network infrastructure with 100 GbE technology helps ensure that customers such as AMS-IX and Limelight Networks will be able to provide high-quality, non-blocking interconnectivity as well as peering services for their member firms.

As the first operator to field-test the new 100 GbE peering connection, Limelight Networks’ vice president of network engineering, Denver Maddux, commented: “As a long-standing Brocade customer and AMS-IX member, we were in the position to be the first to test the new 100 GbE implementation for peering. We tested up to 98 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of Internet traffic without any problems. We require peering connections that assure the best possible blend of performance and reliability, and so we are pleased that AMS-IX, thanks to Brocade, is yet again setting the benchmark for how peering models should be addressed.”

AMS-IX previously deployed Brocade MLXe routers in order to deliver multi-terabit scalability and high port densities. By evolving this environment further and deploying the Brocade 100 GbE module, AMS-IX now benefits from unmatched performance and scalability with 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLXe-32 router and 16 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLX-32 router. Each two-port 100 GbE module delivers 400 Gbps of data throughput per module without compromising the performance of features such as IPv4, IPv6 and MPLS. Ports can be licensed individually and enabled to closely match capital expenses with network capacity needs—and to ensure that service providers have the option to pay only for active ports in the network. For AMS-IX, the Brocade 100 GbE module was the only solution that could fulfil its demand for growth.

“Modern consumers want access to information anytime, anywhere and multimedia content is currently one of the biggest growth markets facing our industry,” commented Job Witteman, CEO at AMS-IX. “We have a duty of care [to our members] to pre-empt market trends and ensure that our network is flexible enough to scale with demand. This is a major undertaking when you think that traffic volumes double every 12 to 18 months but, thanks to our engineering team and Brocade, we have always been at the leading edge of innovation.”

Henk Steenman, CTO at AMS-IX, added: “We have to provide our members with a platform that they can build a business proposition upon. When we migrated to the Brocade MLXe last year, we knew that we were laying the foundation for the future. That has been proven today as we have used that core infrastructure and evolved it even further with the addition of Brocade 100 GbE modules. We are now able to leverage higher throughput rates and wire-speed performance, which enables us to deliver advanced services to our members at an attractive price point. In an age when consumers are demanding high-quality media content from wherever they may be, this infrastructure is pivotal to our success for the foreseeable future and Brocade is more than meeting our stringent demands.”

Brocade MLX Series routers are designed to enable cloud-optimized networks by providing industry-leading 100 GbE, 10 GbE and 1 GbE wire-speed density; rich IPv4, IPv6, Multi-VRF, MPLS, and Carrier Ethernet capabilities; and advanced Layer 2 switching. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), transit networks, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), hosting providers and IXPs rely on these routers to meet skyrocketing traffic requirements and reduce the cost per bit of network traffic. By leveraging the Brocade MLX™ Series, mission-critical environments can support more traffic, achieve greater virtualization and provide high-value cloud-based services using less infrastructure—thereby simplifying operations and reducing costs.

“As the amount of data consumed continues to soar, the pressure being placed on the Internet has never been so great,” stated John McHugh, chief marketing officer at Brocade. “Brocade service provider solutions have proven themselves by powering the largest IXPs and CDNs in the world. With the introduction of 100 GbE density, Brocade continues to provide optimal solutions for IXPs, along with value-added services such as IPv6 and MPLS VPNs. This field test with AMS-IX and Limelight Networks demonstrates that our architecture delivers the performance and bandwidth required to satisfy the needs of modern consumers, and therefore ensure that their customers remain competitive.”

For more information, visit www.brocade.com.

Video
Henk Steenman, CTO at AMS-IX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjCl78-fQYI

Product Information
http://www.brocade.com/products/all/routers/product-details/netiron-mlx-series/index.page

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About Amsterdam Internet Exchange
AMS-IX (ams-ix.net) is a neutral and independent not-for-profit Internet exchange providing services since the early 1990s. AMS-IX is one of the largest Internet hubs worldwide, where over 360 Internet-related parties come together to exchange close to a Terabit per second of Internet traffic. The AMS-IX platform provides high-quality, non-blocking professional peering services for all types of IP traffic, whether regular data, video or VoIP. AMS-IX additionally hosts the first mobile peering points worldwide, the Global GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) and the Mobile Data Exchange (MDX), as well as solutions for broadcasting with the multicast peering service. For more information please visit www.ams-ix.net.

About Limelight Networks, Inc.
Limelight Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:LLNW) provides solutions that enable business and technology decision makers to profit from the shift of content and advertising to the online world, the explosive growth of mobile and connected devices, and the migration of IT applications and services into the cloud. Approximately 1800 customers worldwide use Limelight's massively scalable software services that engage audiences, enhance brand presence, analyze viewer preferences, optimize advertising, manage and monetize digital assets, and ultimately help build stronger customer relationships. For more information, please visit www.limelightnetworks.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/llnw.

About Brocade
Brocade (Nasdaq: BRCD) networking solutions help the world’s leading organizations transition smoothly to a world where applications and information reside anywhere. (www.brocade.com)

Brocade, the B-wing symbol, BigIron, DCFM, DCX, Fabric OS, FastIron, IronView, NetIron, SAN Health, ServerIron, TurboIron, and Wingspan are registered trademarks, and Brocade Assurance, Brocade NET Health, Brocade One, Extraordinary Networks, MyBrocade, VCS, and VDX are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

© 2011 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contact
Ali Ahmar
Regional Sales Manager - MENA
Brocade
GSM: +971 50 1810630
Email: aahmar@Brocade.COM

Media Contact:
Colin Saldanha
Procre8, PO BOX 78835
Dubai - UAE
GSM: +971 (50) 6400762
Email: colin@procre8.biz

This release was published on openPR.