Comms appliance delivers server-class performance

A Portwell Technology product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Feb 8, 2007

High-computing-power and high-bandwidth dual Intel Xeon 64bit processor platform extends the power of Portwell's communication appliance portfolio.

American Portwell Technology has released the NAR-7090, a high computing power and high bandwidth dual Intel Xeon 64bit processor platform that extends the power of its existing communication appliance portfolio.

Using the Intel 5000P chipset to support Intel Xeon 5000 and 5100 series dual-core processors with 1333MHz front side bus, NAR-7090 facilitates the ultimate computing and I/O performance for software providers who need a platform with both greater computing performance reliability and manageability, greater power efficiency, higher throughput, faster memory and I/O bandwidth, faster data movement, and protection against drive/data failure.

Portwell's NAR-7090, in 2U height, features extremely high and flexible network bandwidth configurations that range up to 12 PCI-e SFP connectors or 14 PCI-e copper ports.

The modular design for front-access network ports can be configured as copper, SFP, copper bypass, fibre bypass or "dual-personality" (auto-select either copper or fibre).

Available now, Portwell's new NAR-7090 dual CPU platform is the ideal solution for security applications such as enterprise Internet security, firewall, WAN optimisation, unified threat management and triple play broadcasting.

"Today's communications and security market trends indicate a continued need to improve application and bandwidth performance, which results in demands for higher computing power, and manageability, and creates an increasing need for greater security", says Aaron Chiang, American Portwell Technology's Senior Product Marketing Manager.

"However, the challenge is to raise the stakes while decreasing operating costs and integrating legacy and emerging applications".

"The solution lies in platforms such as Portwell's NAR-7090, a high-performance CA platform for the enterprise that combines the latest dual-core Intel Xeon processor 5100 series with the Intel 5000P chipset platform that provides a smaller form factor that operates in a more compact environment at reduced power".

According to Frank Shen, American Portwell Technology's Product Marketing Director, the modular design for front-access network ports on the new NAR-7090 can be configured as copper, SFP, copper bypass, fibre bypass or dual personality.

This latter option means that one Ethernet port can be auto-selected as either a copper or fibre (SFP) interface.

"This functionality actually allows the user to change the personality of the port by turning the power off and on after the wire has been connected", explains Shen.

"The advantages are three-fold: end users can change the personality of the port in the field dynamically; Portwell customers can simplify models and/or configurations; and our customers can save on the cost of inventory".

In practice, the programmable bypass mode allows network packets to flow in and out unattended when/if the appliance is going down.

The programmable next boot-up status means that the bypass or open mode can be determined in advance before system shut down.

This means that the system can be predetermined to reboot to the preferred status and is immediately ready to serve.

Instant status can be changed on the fly by a series of software commands.

And by providing a self-governing watchdog timer for each bypass segment, each segment can operate independently.

"All in all", says Shen, "the new NAR-7090 offers today's software providers the opportunity to meet the needs of today's security-conscious enterprise by delivering server-class performance in a compact footprint, at a competitive price".