SingAREN unveils high-speed research network built on Brocade

• National research and education network a 100 Gbps pioneer
• SingAREN already experimenting with Brocade MLXe-4’s SDN capabilities

THE Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network (SingAREN) has unveiled its SingAREN-Lightwave Internet Exchange (SLIX), a 100 gigabit per second (Gbps) community network with a Brocade MLXe-4 router at its core.
 
SLIX delivers 100 times more capacity than SingAREN’s previous network infrastructure, providing stronger support for complex, data- and bandwidth-intensive research in areas such as genome and meteorological studies, Brocade Inc said in a statement.
 
In addition, the MLXe-4 core router provides a clear path for the use of software-defined networking (SDN) in SLIX’s network.
 
SingAREN is Singapore's national research and education network and the sole provider of local and international networks dedicated to serving the research and education community in the island-republic.
 
Its new network includes a dedicated dual fibre-optic ring – capable of supporting multiple 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) links – that provides a resilient backbone connecting Singapore’s key research and education sites, Brocade said.
 
This opens up new possibilities as a testbed for the Singapore research and education community, extending database mirroring services, bilateral disaster recovery, high-performance computing federation and shared services, high volume peering with content data networks, and other value-adding services, the company added.
 
“SingAREN is again pushing the envelope of technology to provide high-speed connectivity and services that meet the needs of the research and education community,” said its president Prof Francis Lee Bu-Sung.
 
“We see Brocade as a key technology partner to meet the challenges of building an agile, scalable, high-speed network infrastructure and Internet exchange point,” he added.
 
In addition to supporting connectivity within the local research community, the SLIX core router is a key node for international research and education networks, including APAN, GLORIAD, Internet2, and TEIN. It also peers directly with Australia’s AARNet and Japan’s NII and NICT networks.
 
According to Lee, the first 100 GbE international connection is likely to be made within the next year as a result of a US funding call for a 100 Gbps research network link to Asia.
 
“The Brocade MLXe routers are often the choice for high-performance networks, and we’re very proud of the fact that one has now been deployed as the core of South-East Asia’s most advanced research and education network,” said Adam Judd (pic), Brocade vice president for Asia Pacific.
 
“Apart from the outstanding, non-stop performance and flexibility, a key factor in SingAREN choosing the Brocade solution is our strong support for software-defined networking,” he added.
 
According to Lee, SingAREN is already experimenting with the Brocade MLXe-4’s SDN capabilities, which he sees as playing a critical role in the future of SLIX.
 
“SDN will enable the dynamic configuration of connections to deliver fast transit over ‘clean pipes’ for researchers and educators who need to transfer big data payloads across SingAREN and international research networks,” he said.
 
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