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Networking Hardware

IBM Sticks With Mainframes

16 January 2015 Marco Attard Networking Hardware

IBM reveals what it claims is "one of the most sophisticated computer systems ever built"-- the z13, a mainframe the company says is specifically designed for the requirements of the mobile app economy.

Reportedly the culmination of a $1 billion investment, 5 years of development, 500 patents and the collaboration of 60 clients, the z13 processes up to 2.5 billion persistent, protected and audited transactions, with embedded analytics providing faster "on the fly" insight on said transactions. Powering all is "the world's fastest microprocessor," one twice as fast as "the most common" server processor, as well as 300% more memory, 100% more bandwidth and "vector processing analytics."

Furthermore IBM says the z13 is ideal for private or hybrid clouds, as it runs up to 8000 virtual servers (or 50 virtual servers per core) with full Linux an dOpenStack support.

Pakedge Intros RE-2 Router

18 December 2014 Marco Attard Networking Hardware

Pakedge Devices & Software launches the RE-2-- an enterprise-grade 4-port router designed for smaller commercial networks demanding high performance at a cost effective price.

Technically an upgrade of the RE-1 router, the RE-2 simultaneously handles high bandwidth, low latency streams (including HD video and uncompressed audio), running VoIP telephone services, streaming camera feeds and building automation signals.

Installers can segment voice, video and data traffic onto distinct sub-networks using six preconfigured Pakedge Zones-- meaning diverse traffic types can co-exist and be processed more efficiently while eliminating system conflicts. Further managing latency-sensitive traffic is Pakedge's TruStream technology.

G.fast Broadband Gets Approval

12 December 2014 Marco Attard Networking Hardware

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) gives final approval to G.fast, the broadband standard promising access speeds of up to 1Gbit/s over regular telephone cables.

Described as a cost-effective complement to fibre to the home (FTTH) technologies, G.fast uses fibre to the distribution point (FTTdp) architecture to combine the best of fibre and DSL. It features fibre-like speeds within 400m of a distribution point and the customer self-installation of DSL, bringing about improvements for customers and cost-savings for service providers.

ITU says G.fast enables bandwidth-intensive services such as 4k or 8k video streaming, advanced cloud-based storage and communication via HD video. It also serves the broadband needs of SMEs, and provides backhaul for small wireless cell sites and wifi hotspots, with "zero-touch" operation, administration and management making new service rollout faster.

IEC, USB-IF Team Up in USB Standards

11 December 2014 Marco Attard Networking Hardware

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announce a collaboration in the data delivery and device charging capabilities of current USB specifications.

The announcement covers USB Power Delivery (Rev. 2.0, v1.0), USB 3.1 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps), and USB Type-C Cable and connector specifications.

Of particular interest is the enhanced Power Delivery specification. It increases power levels to up to 100W, adds bi-directional power capabilities (allows either host or device to either provide or consume power), optimises power management across multiple peripherals and provides "intelligent and flexible" power management, all over a single cable.

Such capabilities are to make part of the USB 3.1 standard within the new USB Type-C connector and cable.

Cisco and IBM Team Up in VersaStack

05 December 2014 Marco Attard Networking Hardware

Cisco and IBM join forces to announce VersaStack-- an integrated solution combining Cisco's UCS integrated infrastructure (ie servers and switches) with IBM Storwize V7000 storage arrays.

Designed for cloud, big data and analytics, and mobility deployments, the VersaStack is based on Cisco Validated Design (CVD) reference architecture. It features Cisco technology such as Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and Intercloud Fabric, as well as optimisation for IBM business applications.

The Storwize storage includes technologies such as data virtualisation, real-time compression and easy tier, for what IBM claims to be "extraordinary levels of performance and efficiency."