Experts talk about future development of GE Switches

GE switches are worth learning a lot. Here we will introduce you to the future development direction of GE switches, which are serious experts. The reporter interviewed experts in the field of GE switches on hot topics, including technical experts from equipment suppliers and network construction experts from users. Each of them holds one word, and their points of view are roughly divided into two schools. In our answers to the following questions, we will separate the two comments with A and B.

What are the latest developments in the technology of GE switches? Is it mature enough?

A: The hardware technology of the Gigabit Switch is indeed very mature. In terms of software, intelligence is the current hot spot, and distributed intelligence is a new direction. In general, suppliers and users of gigabit switches are now focusing on the Adaptability of these devices.

B: whether a product type is mature depends on three factors that affect each other: technology, product, and market. For gigabit switches, these three factors have matured. The technology itself, standards, and products are basically finalized. GE switches will develop in applications, and the cost will be further reduced to meet the needs of more and more users.

The development of technical products generally goes through a similar process: technological development, cost reduction, diversified products, and increasing application fields-reaching the peak stage. The current location of the Gigabit Switch is the peak, and it will take a long time to reach its peak.

The new pattern of gigabit switch products is that different equipment suppliers develop and sell new products that adapt to these markets for different market segments. For example, the SOHO switch market is now part of the Gigabit Switch market, which is a manifestation of expansion and refinement after the Gigabit Switch market reaches its peak. Currently, competitors in this market provide personalized product capabilities.

Will 1-gigabit desktop become a popular trend?

A: It will become popular in about half A year. The gigabit exchange technology itself is very fast, and the cost of gigabit exchange equipment is falling quickly, which makes it a natural process for gigabit to desktop. When it comes to 1-gigabit desktop, some people will say how many applications require connection between desktop PCs and networks with 1-gigabit bandwidth? At present, there are few such applications, and sometimes large bandwidth may be used during file backup. But if the cost from 1 GB to the desktop is similar to 10 MB, why not? It is like people's demand for PC processor speed, many applications Pentium 3 is enough, but when the price of Pentium 4 and Pentium 3 is almost the same, most users will choose Pentium 4. When the technology develops to this step, the corresponding demand is generated. Here, it is not the application that pushes forward the technology, so is Pentium 4, and gigabit to desktop.

In addition, Gigabit to desktop can bring additional benefits, that is, the reduction of management costs, edge devices and devices close to the core are using Gigabit ports, It is very convenient to configure. The other is that the desktop uses Gigabit bandwidth, and the QoS (Service Quality) problem is annoying.

B: to be popular, it will take at least one year to two years. Although specialized gigabit-to-Desktop products will come out in the first quarter to the first half of the year, and the price will be greatly improved, the application of gigabit-to-desktop services is not very significant now, because there are too few requirements. Popular in the past six months? Unless the price of a gigabit product within six months is similar to that of a hundred megabytes, this possibility is almost zero. Cost and price are the decisive factors, which involve a series of devices, including network cards.

Is there any new change in the application of GE switches?

A: We found that the user's network is more and more likely to change, and the scope of the change is also growing. The requirements for applications with gigabit switches will happen anytime, anywhere. This leads to changes in product design. The products that retain the basic functions of GE switches are good, or the fully-compatible Ge switches will be widely used. If an enterprise is small and the enterprise network is small, there are only a few dozen nodes, there will be no signs of expansion in the next few years, switch equipment functions can be separated. In this case, it is not necessary to use a fully-hosted Gigabit Switch. However, large-scale enterprise network with all-around exchange devices has many benefits. When the network size is large, the device types should be as few as possible, which is convenient to manage.

For example, if a Gigabit Switch has several functions, some of them are used in the past. When the network structure changes, for example, a device with another floor in a building needs to access the network, this switch is physically placed in the original place, but the location in the network has changed, you need to use another part of the function. Because these functions are distributed in this device beforehand, you don't need to change the device when the network changes. You just need to change the device's function, and the management cost will naturally decrease.

It is mentioned that the cost of a Gigabit Switch is decreasing, that is, the production cost of the device. For users, the decline in production costs has brought about the price benefits. At the same time, the management costs of gigabit devices are also decreasing. From Gigabit devices to desktops, the management costs can be reduced, using a fully-hosted Gigabit Switch will also significantly reduce management costs-the meaning of these for users is as big as or even more significant as the decline in device prices.

Chinese enterprises often fall into a misunderstanding about the role of the Enterprise Information Department. For example, if the personnel department needs application software, the CIO and its Information Department are often required to develop or find someone for them. This is a waste of resources, because the personnel department must let the Information Department know their needs. In a country with relatively advanced informatization construction, the application software department is responsible for finding someone to develop the software. The CIO is only responsible for providing a flexible network platform that meets a large number of requirements. Back to the Gigabit Switch option, the multi-functional, modular, and intelligent switch can help CIOs build such a platform.

B: Gigabit Switches are not widely used in all regions. This idea is only applicable to modular switches, but there are many types of GE switches, which are too wasteful for all-round switches. Gigabit core switches are divided into modular and fixed ports. fixed ports are divided into manageable and unmanageable ports. GE edge switches are divided into four layers (SMART), three layers, two-layer switches and non-NMS switches. Both full functionality and intelligence are inevitable.