Nortel Networks 8600 Switch User Manual


 
Product Brief
Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600
Ethernet has emerged as the infrastruc-
ture of choice for new service provider
deployments as well as for Layer 2 enter-
prise-wide interconnect. Applications —
such as Layer 2 Virtual Private Networks
(VPNs) — and IP-based services —
such as the triple play of voice, video
and Internet access — are driving the
often-cited growth in metro and wide
area networks today. Ethernet leverages
the decades-long investment in LAN-
based networking to offer a packet
switching technology that is the most
cost-effective available today. For enter-
prises that want to cost-effectively extend
LANs at native rates into the MAN and
WAN, Ethernet is the answer. For carriers
and service providers looking for a fast,
reliable and profitable way to eliminate
bandwidth bottlenecks in the MAN,
Ethernet is the answer.
Metro Ethernet enables point-to-point,
point-to-multipoint and any-to-any
connection topologies that meet differing
service and application requirements.
Nortel’s Metro Ethernet Routing Switch
8600 has been a workhorse for enter-
prises and a reliable profit-maker for
service providers. It is leading the way in
delivering scalable, feature-rich, Ethernet-
based VPNs and next-generation
Ethernet MAN infrastructure.
The Metro Ethernet Routing Switch
8600 delivers 100-Megabit, 1- and 10-
Gigabit Ethernet interfaces with carrier-
class performance, availability and
Quality of Service (QoS). Its flexibility,
scalability and support for a wide variety
of interfaces make it the natural fit for
business-critical applications and services.
The Metro Ethernet Routing Switch
8600 delivers important benefits to
service providers seeking to increase
their Ethernet-based network footprint
and to enterprises whose scale of opera-
tions leads to carrier-class solutions
(Table 1).