Data Center Networking Equipment and Solutions
Top Rated Products
(1-2 of 2)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard provides a simplified, centralized data center dashboard that enables businesses to manage their hybrid cloud network operations.
All Products
(26-50 of 50)
RackConnect Global networking solution for on-premises, data centers and cloud services, weaving them together into a unified private network, avoiding the expense of dedicated circuits or the vagaries of the public Internet. It can connect multiple data centers and to include multiple…
The OSN902 from Huawei is a WDM transmission platform customized for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) applications. The vendor states its large transmission capacity, adaptation to installation conditions in DC equipment rooms, and simple management mode provide an optimal user experience…
Infinera's XT Series of compact, open, and disaggregated platforms are powered by Infinera’s fourth-generation Infinite Capacity Engine (ICE4), and deliver up to 2.4T of line-side capacity for metro, regional, long-haul, and data center interconnect networks in compact 1RU and 4RU…
The HP A-Series was a brand of switches developed by Comware, acquired by Hewlett-Packard and divested. The technology is now supported by Chinese company New HC3.
Ciena states the Waveserver family of stackable interconnect platforms delivers more capacity and lower power for high-growth, bandwidth-intensive applications. The Waveserver family provides scale to meet surging capacity needs of demanding cloud applications and data services. With…
Alkira Network Cloud is a multi-cloud network solution with integrated services, visibility and governance. Alkira's service is hosted in multiple data centers to provide redundancy, and the data centers and virtual exchange points are in geographically distributed regions and deployed…
The Arista 7800R3 Series is a family of high density Spine platforms with programmable support for over 2.5 million routes, 400/100G density and flexible table sizes with cloud-grade architecture. The Arista 7800R with up to 460Tbps of performance with embedded MACsec is a platform…
For campus, regional, metro and long-haul data center interconnect (DCI) applications, Fujitsu offers the 1FINITY T600 blade, which they state enables data center and cloud operators to deploy flexible, cost-effective optical connections.
The Flexential Interconnection Platform enables users to elastically adjust capacity, integrate new technologies and move data from the core of a network to the edge of the internet. WIth it, Flexential aims to bring an advanced data center to data center connectivity solution that…
Connects where users are located for optimized and efficient use of bandwidth costs. Flexential Network Hubs bring connectivity closer to end users with geographically distributed locations that satisfy latency requirements and provide better application performance. Flexential…
Flexential IP Bandwidth offers an IP transit service with fixed and burstable bandwidth options up to 40 Gbps. Presented as a more advanced and sophisticated service than standard Direct Internet Access (DIA). All plans come with automated DDoS scrubbing with optional IP address…
Flexential Fabric is a software-defined interconnection solution that enables direct, secure connectivity to distributed infrastructure and digital ecosystems through a single port. Flexential Fabric changes the way interconnection services are consumed by leveraging multiple virtual…
Flexential DCI is a point-to-point service that provides connectivity between two Flexential data centers, including strategic carrier hotels around the US. A layer 2 transport service DCI runs over the Flexential’s 100 Gbps network backbone, offering a highly available, redundant…
Huawei's OptiX OSN 9800 U series includes the OptiX OSN 9800 U64, OptiX OSN 9800 U32, and central cluster chassis (CCC). This next-generation large-capacity OTN product series is intended for beyond 200G/400G. Huawei’s OptiX OSN 9800 is a next-generation high-capacity, intelligent,…
The Arista 7500R3 Series is a family of high density Spine platforms with support for high density 400G and 100G Ethernet and internet scale tables. The Arista 7500R3 Series is an optimized platform with up to 230Tbps of performance for data center networks, DCI and universal spine,…
Use Azure ExpressRoute to create private connections between Azure datacenters and infrastructure on premises or in a colocation environment. ExpressRoute connections don't route through the public internet, and they offer more reliability, faster speed, and lower latency than typical…
Raritan offers a data center networking solution via its KVM-OVER-IP Switches, the Dominion KX series of switches for data centers, labs, and server rooms. Raritan is a Legrand company (acquired 2015).
ADVA Optical Networks offers the FSA 3000 line of open optical transport systems, including open line systems and open terminals.
Juniper 7000 or the BTI Series, now from Juniper Networks since they acquired BTI Systems in late 2016, consists of a number of platforms that address the packet optical transport and Ethernet access requirements of metro and cloud-based networks. Many of the BTI series products…
Juniper Networks states that the QFX Series switches secure and automate data center networks and build a strong underlay foundation for flexible and high-performance fabrics that improve network reliability and agility, helping to simplify the path to multicloud.
Dell PowerSwitch Z Series Switches are 100GbE and 400GbE core/aggregation switches designed for building optimized data center leaf/spine fabrics of virtually any size. They replace the Force10 ZettaScale, acquired with Force10 by Dell in 2011.
Apstra in Menlo Park offers a multi-vendor network operating system. Apstra’s Intent-Based Networking aims to empower organizations to automate all aspects of the network design, build, deploy, and operate phases. The vendor states their solution leverages advanced intent-based analytics…
Apollo Optical Systems, beginning with the ECI TM1200 launched in 2018, are a family of optical transport and switching platforms that aim to provide scalable, high-density and energy-efficient solutions from access to core. The vendor states Apollo enables service providers to deploy…
Boasting the ability to scale to Terabit/s switching per slot and flexibly route wavelengths without restriction across any one of 16 directions, the programmable Ciena 6500 T-Series configurations enable service providers to distribute customizable content to end-users and provide…
Learn More About Data Center Networking Equipment and Solutions
What is Data Center Networking Equipment?
Data center networking solutions include devices that connect computing and storage resources, enabling the delivery of shared computer applications and data.
Network equipment is required for communication and interaction between hardware on a computer network. Networking equipment combines, splits, switches, boosts, or directs packets of information across a computer or telecommunications network.
Networking equipment supports different protocols to allow a variety of devices to communicate. Network protocols are a set of rules, conventions, and data structures that dictate how devices exchange data across networks. Protocols allow devices to understand the electronic signals they send and receive while communicating over network connections.
Data center networking equipment include:
NIC – Network interface card also known as a network adapter card, an Ethernet card, or a LAN (Local Area Network) card, allow networking devices to communicate with other networked devices.
Switches - Connect devices on a network to send and receive data. They use MAC (Media Access Control) addresses (unique identifiers) to send data packets to destination ports.
Routers – Connect different networks and receive, analyze, and forward data packets. They connect different network segments, different network protocols, connect smaller networks into a large network, break large networks into smaller ones, and connect different network architectures, and media types. Central routers are the high-speed backbone of a network with the ability to support many LANs. Routers can also be local, remote, internal, external, and peripheral. Router types include wireless, broadband, core, edge, and brouters (bridge routers).
Gateways – Nodes that connect networks, including those operating with different transmission protocols, act as a protocol converter providing compatibility between the different protocols. They forward data packets from a local network to a remote network. They can be unidirectional or bidirectional. Types of gateways include traditional network gateways, cloud storage gateways, email gateways, internet to orbit (satellite) gateways, IoT gateways, and VoIP gateways.
Multiplexers - Combine multiple signals into one output signal.
Repeaters – Amplify and retransmit signals to ensure signals are transmitted clearly throughout the network. They can be digital or analog, wired or wireless, local, or remote.
Firewalls – Safeguard a network against unauthorized access.
Transceivers – Connect nodes and send and receive both analog and digital signals. This functionality is built into network cards but is also available as a physical device. They can convert electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa.
Bridges –Break down larger networks into smaller segments, connect different media types, and network architectures.
Hubs - Connect multiple devices in a single LAN. Hubs can be passive, active (providing repeater functionality), or intelligent (supporting network management functions) and are primarily used in older networks.
Data Center Networking Solutions Features
Data center networking equipment includes these features:
- Connect multiple computers in a network
- Connect network devices to send and receive data
- Connect different networks
- Connect networks with different transmission protocols
- Combine multiple signals into one output signal
- Amplify and retransmit signals to ensure clear signal transmission throughout a network
- Convert electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa
- Safeguard networks against unauthorized access
Data Center Networking Equipment Comparison
Consider the following when purchasing data center networking equipment:
New vs. Refurbished Equipment: Budget-conscious businesses may wish to consider purchasing refurbished data center networking equipment, which offers reduced costs, warranties, and easy access to replacements.
Short Term vs. Long Term Goals: In addition to meeting your current requirements, evaluate where you expect your business to be over the next five to ten years. The products you select should have a clear upgrade path to enable longer-term goals.
Public Cloud-based Service Options: Depending on your goals and IT strategy, a move to the cloud could eliminate the need for any networking equipment.
Pricing Information
Pricing for data center networking equipment depends on the scale of resources. Switches start at a few hundred dollars and go over $10,000. Small business routers range from several hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Enterprise routers can run over $50,000. Hardware firewalls for small businesses usually range from $1,500 to $4,000. Enterprise-level firewalls range from $25,000 to over $50,000. Free demos and trials are available.