Cisco is launching its first 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400G) switches under its Nexus portfolio. Trials with customers will start in December and general availability is planned for the first half of 2019.
The new products provide four times the bandwidth and four times the scale of existing switches without using four times the power, Cisco said. They can be used on their own or in combination with Cisco’s security, automation, visibility and analytics software.
The 400G switches are designed to support the signature capabilities the Nexus switching portfolio is known for, delivered at wire speed. This includes support for advanced telemetry for deeper app visibility, real-time analysis and troubleshooting, as well as smart buffers specially tuned for scale-out app traffic.
Customers can also integrate the switches with Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure, Tetration and Network Assurance Engine software. Doing this allows them to increase app agility and improve data centre security and automation, Cisco said.
The company noted that is actively working with partners and third-party organizations to drive standardization and interoperability around 400G. Cisco collaborated in the recent 400G industry plug fests with interconnect and test solution partners and demonstrated cost-effective 100G lambda optics modules for 400G.
