Hitachi Cable, Ltd. has announced the development of the Apresia 18008 Ethernet switch*1,*2 for telecommunications carrier use, compatible with Ethernet OAM *3, next-generation network maintenance and administration functions. Sales of this new switch will begin in June 2008.

Since 2003, Hitachi Cable has developed a series of Ethernet switches under its own Apresia brand, achieving sustained sales growth for use in wide-area Ethernet networks operated by telecommunications carriers and in the LAN networks of corporations and other organizations. The versatile range of features tailored to the needs of telecommunications networks in Japan and a reputation for remarkable reliability gave Hitachi Cable the third-highest market share for 2007 (9%) in Japan's Ethernet-switch market.*4

In the market targeting telecommunications carriers, Hitachi Cable developed the Apresia 6000/8000 series chiefly for edge-switch use in wide-area Ethernet networks and the Apresia 18000 series for core-switch use, with significant resulting sales to telecommunications carriers in Japan. In the market for chassis switches used primarily by telecommunications carriers, Hitachi Cable now holds Japan's second-highest market share, 14%.

In recent years, networks connecting corporate facilities have increasingly handled not just Web, e-mail, file-transfers, and similar data, but also large volumes of diverse traffic such as core business data, audio data for IP telephony services, and video data for videoconferencing. A shift is underway from traditional connections through dedicated lines to wide-area Ethernet services and even next-generation networks (NGN), with higher speeds, larger capacities, and lower costs.

Given these market conditions, Hitachi Cable has developed and brought to market the Apresia 18020, which offers the largest switch capacity of any switch produced in Japan, and the Apresia 18005, which offers just the switch capacity and port availability most clients need. Today, it announced the start of sales of the Apresia 18008, a model positioned in between these two models.

With room for up to 16 10-gigabit Ethernet ports or up to 160 one-gigabit Ethernet ports, the Apresia 18008 features a switch capacity of 720 Gbps. Suitable deployment of these three Apresia 18000-series models based on network size enables efficient network integration.

The Apresia 18008 is compatible with Ethernet OAM (operations, administration, and maintenance) functions for remote maintenance and administration, a feature in high demand in recent years for wide-area Ethernet integration. Existing Apresia 18020 and Apresia 18005 models are also compatible with these functions.

In addition, like the Apresia 18020 and the Apresia 18005, the Apresia 18008 features access-control functions that permit precise control of bandwidth and priorities for individual users and applications and a unique high-speed Multi Master Ring Protocol Version 2 (MMRP2)*5 switching function to respond to network problems, as well as other design considerations targeting needs associated with networks operated by telecommunications carriers, including a design that minimizes the impact of switch-fabric*6 problems on networks. Incorporating energy-saving components, it also achieves leading power-saving performance for its class of products, even with full implementation of the 10-Gbps interface.

With the addition of the Apresia 18008 to its lineup, Hitachi Cable seeks to further boost Apresia series sales and to increase its presence in the Ethernet-switch market. For Fiscal 2009, Hitachi Cable expects Apresia series sales to reach 12.5 billion yen.

*1	Apresia is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in Japan.
*2	Ethernet is a product name of Xerox Corp. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in Japan.
*3	Ethernet OAM (operations, administration, and maintenance) is an Ethernet-network maintenance and administration function standardized under Recommendation Y.1731 of the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and currently undergoing standardization by the IEEE 802 Committee as IEEE 802.1ag. It is used for various maintenance and administration purposes, including investigations by telecommunications carriers of switch status in remote locations and isolation of line problems.
*4	Source: Gartner, March 2008, J08260 Sales-figure basis
*5	MMRP2 (Multi Master Ring Protocol Version 2) is a feature exclusive to Hitachi Cable enabling high-speed switching in response to problems in L2 Ethernet rings.
*6	Switch fabric refers to the structure for interchanging large volumes of traffic between transmitting and receiving interfaces inside networking equipment.

Comparing Apresia 18000-series specifications

Model Apresia 18020 Apresia 18008 Apresia 18005 Switch capacity 1.8 Tbps 720 Gbps 450 Gbps Maximum available ports (slots) 10-Gb Ethernet 40 1-Gb Ethernet 400 (20) 10-Gb Ethernet 16 1-Gb Ethernet 160 (8) 10-Gb Ethernet 10 1-Gb Ethernet 100 (5)

Main specifications of the Apresia 18008

(specifications subject to change without notice)

Feature Specifications Switch capacity 720 Gbps Interfaces Up to 16 10 Gb Ethernet ports available Up to 160 1 Gb Ethernet ports available Power supply Redundant (one main plus one backup) power supply (power-supply unit sold separately): -48 VDC Power consumption 2000 W or less Approximate weight Approx. 100 kg (max.) External dimensions 482.6 (W) × 621.4(D) × 619 (H) mm Basic structure Eight chassis slots (for line-card use), two administrative cards, six fan units, two power-supply units, two SFC cards, two ARB cards Operating temperature 0°C to 40°C

Photographs of the Apresia 18008