No-compromise Edge Networking
{"Image DocumentName": "No-compromise Edge Networking", "Image ImageDescription": "Avaya VENA Stackable Chassis. User Access. Virtual hot-swap capability. Enables in-service maintenance & restoration. No single point-of-failure. Distributed power and forwarding. High-capacity virtual backplane. Industry-leading, pay-as-you- grow scalable capacity. Simplified implementation & management. Centralised management, automatic software & configuration control. Standards-based. Access features. Stackable Chassis. Automatic Unit Replacement. Distributed. architecture. No-compromise Edge Networking. Stackable Ethernet Switches have become increasingly popular in the Wiring Closet, and are often selected in preference to Chassis-based alternatives. Price will often have a significant influence on decisions, especially when the multiplying factor of numerous Closets translates into the potential for a very large delta. However not all \u2018Stackable Switches\u2019 are created equal. Not all provide a genuine alternative option to the Chassis, and not all deliver the performance, resiliency, and ease of operations crucial in an Enterprise environment; some are not even truly Stackable. Avaya\u2019s portfolio of Stackable Switches is the result of the progressive evolution of a number of historically innovative products. A common thread that links the portfolio is a truly resilient, high-performance Stacking architecture \u2013 Flexible Advanced Stacking Technology (FAST) \u2013 this is what makes Avaya genuinely unique, and genuinely different to competitive offerings. Virtual hot-swap capability \u2013 Enables in-service maintenance & restoration. This crucial serviceability and operability feature ensures that any unit failure can be quickly and easily rectified. It is a hot-swap capability pioneered in Modular Switches, and now also available on Avaya s Stackable Switches, made possible by virtue of intelligent virtualisation of the Stacking connections. Enabling immediate like-for-like unit replacement without impacting the remaining Stack functionality and traffic, and without complex engineering intervention empowers Operators to deploy our Stackable solutions just as they would a Chassis. Technically-speaking: When a failure occurs the neighbouring Switches will automatically wrap their Stack connections ensuring that collateral Users are not impacted. The failed unit is simply disconnected from the Stack and a like unit \u2013 without any pre-staging of software or configuration \u2013 can be inserted, cabled, and powered-up. The Automatic Unit Replacement (AUR) process then self-manages any necessary downloads to the new Switch and then brings it online; all of this without the need for an Engineer to configure or manage a thing. No single point-of-failure \u2013 Distributed power and forwarding. With a Chassis solution this has meant N+1 Power Supplies and even redundant Switching Fabrics. With our Stackables it is much the same but without the cost penalty: each unit has an independent Switching Fabric, and as each \u2018Switching Module\u2019 has an independent power supply it means that there is no one single point-of-failure. Adding a Redundant Power option further enhances the overall resiliency of the solution. Any individual element failure is equivalent to the failure of a single Module within a Chassis. Technically-speaking: Frame Forwarding decisions are distributed across each independent Switching Fabric. When a frame forwarding decision results in the need to forward the frame to another Switch in the Stack, the Stack forwarding algorithm determines whether the frame will traverse the up or down Stack link, or possibly both. More general Stack management functions are performed by a \u2018Base Unit\u2019 (BU), which selected as part of initialising the Stack. Once normal operations have been established, if the BU (Unit 1) fails or is rebooted, the next Switch (Unit 2) will take over as Temporary BU (TBU) and remain as such until either it is reset or the entire Stack is reset. If only Unit 2, as TBU, fails or is reset (but entire Stack is not reset), then the TBU status will transfer to the Unit 3, the next downstream unit in the cascade. High-capacity virtual backplane \u2013 Industry-leading, pay-as-you-grow scalable capacity. With a Chassis solution it\u2019s been a given that performance comes as a natural function of design and price. With our Stackables we\u2019ve been able to combine non-blocking internal switching fabrics with high-speed stacking architectures to deliver a truly high performance solution. The Avaya FAST architecture is not bound by the limitations and constraints facing other Vendors (such as Token Sharing/Passing systems, or basic Cascading), and has been specifically designed to scale proportionally as new member Switches are added to the Stack; as more ports are added and the requirement for more bandwidth grows. Technically-speaking: A Di-Directional Shortest-Path Traffic Forwarding capability is at the heart of our resilient Stacking architecture, ensuring that the shortest, most optimal forwarding path is selectively chosen for each unique data flow. There is none of the unwieldy logical Ring or Token technology that Competitors use, but a star-based distributed forwarding topology that allows traffic to flow either \u2018upstream\u2019 or \u2018downstream\u2019 simultaneously from every Switch in the Stack, optimising both performance and resiliency. The various implementations of FAST scale capacity according to the market positioning of the different product lines. Ranging from 4Gbps per Switch and up to 32Gbps per Stack for the entry-level ERS 2500 Series, and on up to 144Gbps / 1.152Tbps for the premium ERS 5600 Series. Avaya delivers Industry-leading Stacking capacity in all market segments. Simplified implementation & management \u2013 Automatic software & configuration control, and centralised management. With a Chassis solution it is simply a case of adding a new Module, adding configuration, and connecting devices. With our Stackables it is much the same: simply cable-in a new Stack member, extend the appropriate configuration \u2013 the Stack is managed as a single network entity. Technically-speaking: The Automatic Unit Replacement (AUR) feature is the process that delivers the Agent Image software, the Configuration file, and the Diagnostic Image software to any additional or replacement Switch; it self-manages any necessary downloads to the new Switches and then brings it online. The entire Stack operates, appears, and is managed as a single network entity, with specific Stack IP and MAC Addresses. Proof-Points: Resiliency \u2013 Always-on networking for the Edge; a fault-tolerant, actively resilient \u2018Stackable Chassis\u2019 that empowers a virtual hot-swap capability. Efficiency \u2013 Highly energy-efficient Switches provide real and immediate cost-savings in every Wiring Closet. Performance \u2013 High-capacity Stacking connections create a high-speed virtual backplane. Security \u2013 Implements sophisticated, open, granular network access control. Multivendor \u2013 Once the \u2018Stackable Chassis\u2019 is created it can interwork in an open-vendor environment, utilising all common L2 and L3 protocols. Linear. scalability. Bi-directional. multi-path forwarding. Virtualized Core. Flexible Advanced Stacking Technology.", "Image XResolution": "37", "Image YResolution": "37", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Centimeter", "Image Software": "SlidePlayer", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered"}