The University of Florida is deploying Brocade MLXe Core Routers with 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) blades and Brocade ICX Switches in its core network connecting the institution’s HiPerGator supercomputer and external research networks, such as Internet2. In the newly opened data center, the University of Florida consolidated three primary Campus Research Network (CRN) sites to two, resulting in a 200 GbE triangle configuration connection between the two sites and the gateway to Internet2.
“All high-energy physics researchers in the southeast United States use the University of Florida’s network as a resource and all of the data flows through Brocade routers,” said Erik Deumens, Ph.D., Director of Research Computing at the University of Florida. “The 100 GbE Brocade MLXe routers enable us to keep up with demands and are also what the campus needed to develop a clear technology roadmap supportive of software-defined networking (SDN).”
In addition to the 100 GbE network, the University of Florida is participating in an early field trial of the recently announced Brocade MLXe 40 GbE module and connecting the Brocade MLXe Core Routers with high-density Brocade ICX 6650 Switches that provide 40/10 GbE performance. Brocade said the resulting solution positions the university as a leading example of a campus deploying an SDN-ready 100 GbE network core with 40 GbE connectivity to the aggregation layer.
