University of Bern Advances Scientific Research and Student Experience Thanks to Campus-Wide Brocade Network

Press release:

University of Bern Advances Scientific Research and Student Experience Thanks to Campus-Wide Brocade Network

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on diggShare on stumbleuponShare on newsvineShare on redditShare on emailShare on print

Brocade MLXe Core Routers and Brocade ICX Switches Deliver 10 GbE Performance, and Pave the Way for 100 GbE Connections

GENEVA--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - Catering to the needs of more than 15,000 students and 6,000 staff, and playing an active role in a wide range of European and worldwide research projects (notably in the field of Space Research), theUniversity of Bern is one of the world's leading education and research establishments. In order to meet current student needs, and lay an IT foundation for the future, the university turned to Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) to deploy a high-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) routing and campus networking solution across more than 130 buildings and three data centers.

Specifically, the university selected the Brocade® MLXe Core Router to provide the wire-speed density, 10 GbE uplink performance and IPv6 support it so sorely needed in the short-term -- with 40 and 100 GbE capabilities to support future plans. In addition to the Brocade MLXe routers, the university also deployed Brocade ICX® 6610, 6430 and 6450 switches as part of the administration network upgrade to deliver seamless connectivity and reliability. Both solutions were deployed by local Brocade partner, BNC Business Network Communications AG.

Formed in 1834, the University of Bern has a long association with teaching and research excellence. Today, it has a comprehensive offering, including eight faculties, some 160 institutes, and eight Graduate Schools. Its academic and research organization prides itself on its interdisciplinary approach, exemplified by four National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR): Climate, North-South, Trade Regulation and TransCure. Additionally it supports the MUST research program, which brings together 16 Swiss research groups working across the fields of physics and chemistry, with the ETH Zurich.

"Our work is based on high quality and the constant use of the latest technologies," stated Fritz Butikofer, Head of IT Infrastructure Group, Customer Services Department, at the University of Bern. "However, with students and staff demanding better, faster access to online applications and our research projects consuming more bandwidth and network resources, we reached our limit due to an IT environment that could no longer cope with demand."

Recognizing that a wholesale network upgrade was needed, the University of Bern turned to local partner BNC to conduct a thorough vendor evaluation process. This process also involved conversations with other Swiss universities.

"We needed an environment that could offer the immediate routing performance and reliability we needed, together with a foundation for the future roll-out of 40 GbE and 100 GbE connectivity to enable us to easily share research data across our global campus environment," added Butikofer.

Institutes with high-performance computing (HPC) environments must continually evaluate their networking requirements to manage a surge in bandwidth-intensive multimedia and research applications, and mobile application growth worldwide. Delivering up to four times the 100 GbE wire-speed density and nine times the system capacity of competing routers, the Brocade MLXe router helps ensure greater simplicity with significantly less infrastructure and operational overhead. It provides 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports and a total switching capacity of 15.36 Terabits in a single chassis.

In order to deliver data center levels of 10 GbE performance and resilience across the administration network, the University of Bern also selected Brocade ICX switches. According to Butikofer the administrative staff is located all over the campus wherefore the data center performance is not only needed in the core but also right to the edge.

Brocade ICX switches are designed for enterprise-class networks yet priced to fit any budget. The Brocade ICX 6610 is a high-performance Ethernet access switch that combines chassis-like reliability and performance with the flexibility and affordability of a stackable switch, providing 8×10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) uplink ports and the highest stacking bandwidth in its class at 320 Gbps. The Brocade ICX 6430 and 6450 switches feature full stacking capabilities, a rich set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality and the ability to support advanced features such as Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and MACsec encryption for link-level data protection. Most importantly, the entire family of Brocade ICX switches is ready for BrocadeHyperEdge™ technology*, enabling customers to effortlessly upgrade their networks as their needs evolve.

"The Brocade MLXe routers have provided us a solid foundation and offer attractive expansion options for the future. We are already planning to deploy our first 100 GbE links between data centers, and to upgrade our legacy 1 GbE links at the campus edge to 10 GbE and 40 GbE connections to radically improve performance and the user experience," concluded Butikofer.

For more information, visit www.brocade.com.

* Brocade HyperEdge technology is planned to be available for purchase in the first half of 2013.

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