Alcatel-Lucent expands its OmniSwitch 6850 LAN switch family with innovative solution for extreme environments

Paris, April 2008 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today introduced the Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch 6855 Hardened LAN switch, a new Gigabit Ethernet switch specifically built for IP network deployments where environmental operating conditions are unusually demanding. Inheriting the benefits of the highly successful OmniSwitch 6850 product family - with more than 1.5 million ports shipped - the OmniSwitch 6855 offers flexible configurations and the highest density of Gigabit ports in a remarkably small ruggedized chassis.

The OmniSwitch 6855 is a hardened, fully managed Gigabit Ethernet switch, engineered to meet stringent operating requirements including working in temperatures of -40 deg C up to +75 deg C, and purpose-built to withstand challenging shock, vibration and electrical conditions (e.g. Industrial EMI/EMC, IEEE1613, IEC61850). Its superior hardware design and maximum availability, complemented by the advanced Alcatel-Lucent Operating System (AOS), makes the OmniSwitch 6855 particularly suitable for utility, transportation systems, and defense installations. The switch also performs very well within carrier Ethernet access services.

Product details of the OmniSwitch 6855
The OmniSwitch 6855 is the first industrial grade Ethernet switch that offers up to 24 Gigabit copper and fiber port densities in a single RU high chassis. Four models are available with replaceable and redundant AC and DC power supplies:

- half-size rack mountable, fanless, 10 ports fiber model (OS6855-U10) and 14 ports copper model (OS6855-14)

- full-size 24 ports rack mountable fiber model (OS6855-U24) and copper model (OS6855-24).

All copper models support four Power over Ethernet (POE) ports that can provide a flexible edge connectivity to a growing list of popular POE devices such as video surveillance camera, wireless access points, card readers, sensors or other special purpose powered devices.

OmniSwitch 6855, as any member of the OmniSwitch 6850 family, supports wire speed performance for IPv4 and IPv6 traffic, extended security and resiliency features ensuring network response time, infrastructure longevity and support for a variety of mission-critical services and applications.



OmniSwitch 6850 LAN Switch family updates
Embedded Traffic anomaly detection, the newest advanced security feature, developed by Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, is an integrated part of the AOS software that detects, in real time, any anomalies in the network traffic, identifies malware, provides automated notifications to the network administrator or automatically quarantines the offender. The integrity of the network is constantly monitored and maintained thereby preventing any service downtime.



Power Consumption minimized
In a recent industry review¹ of major LAN switch vendors, the OmniSwitch 6850 was recognized as using the lowest power consumption, winning ‘green bragging rights’. Alcatel-Lucent is committed to eco-sustainability by building energy efficient network products that are designed to comply with global environmental standards, and promote green practices throughout the ecosystem.



Metro Ethernet Forum certification
The entire OmniSwitch 6850 family, OmniSwitch 6855 included, has been external linkMetro Ethernet Forum (MEF) certified for metro/carrier deployments that require Ethernet services interoperability, which benefits service providers and businesses, assuring agreed service level specification and known international standards.

“The new state of the art hardened Ethernet switch meets the growing demand for always-on, secure and converged communication infrastructure expansion beyond the enterprise campus to environmentally challenged locations,” commented Eric Penisson, vice president Alcatel-Lucent large and mid enterprise solutions. “In addition, embedded traffic anomaly detection puts OmniSwitch products ahead of the competition; Green technology recognition and MEF certification validates our commitment to open standards and eco-friendly systems.”

The OmniSwitch 6855 Hardened Gigabit LAN Switch is available now for metro/carrier deployments requiring support for a full suite of services and advanced QoS. Pricing starts at $4,000 US list, or $280 per Gigabit port.

Alcatel-Lucent is committed to providing innovative, open communications solutions that give competitive advantage to dynamic enterprises worldwide.