HP Debuts New Line Of Gigabit Switches

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday unveiled a new line of network switches in its ProCurve line that extend HP's Adaptive EDGE architecture to the network edge via Gigabit Ethernet.

HP touts its ProCurve Adaptive EDGE architecture as a way to better manager to-the-network-edge applications such as those in the mobility and security areas, as well as ones which blend network-stressing audio and video.

"We use an array of extremely high-performance hardware applications that incorporate video, large file storage, and graphics, all of which take a toll on my network," said Charles Sears, the manager of research computing at Oregon State University's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Science, in a statement. "Our High Definition (HD) Video facilities alone can drag down network performance, and thus our science tasks into the ground."

The college has been trying out the ProCurve 3400cl switches, added Sears, and "I can get more from my network because [they] offer me high-bandwidth capability, while future-proofing my infrastructure."

The two new switches in the ProCurve 3400cl series feature 20 or 44 10/100/1000 ports and four dual ports that can be used for Gigabit Ethernet or optionally as mini-GBIC ports. Another common feature of the two switches is their stackability.The switches are available now at prices of $3,759 for the 24-port model and $6,899 for the 48-port device.

HP also announced several 10-Gigabit add-on modules for the 3400cl line, including one that supports CX4 cable up to 15 meters and another that provides two slots for X2 type transceivers. The modules will ship December 1 at prices ranging from $1,799 to $3,999, said HP.