Data Center Network
sponsored by Dell Force10
Data Center Network: Belvedere Trading Deploys Force10's GbE Switches
By Ashok BindraRecognizing the urgent need to ensure line-rate, non-blocking throughput and ultra-low-latency throughout its performance-sensitive high-frequency trading (HFT) environment, proprietary trading firm Belvedere Trading LLC has deployed Force10 Networks’ high performance top-of-rack S4810 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switches to drive network latency to nanosecond (ns) levels. To leverage the performance of 10 GbE for Belvedere’s financial derivatives trading practice, the S4810 switches are deployed strategically at their network edge and collocation facilities.
With each transaction representing potentially millions of dollars, ultra-low latency is critical in high-performance trading environments, said Force10 Networks (News - Alert).
In a statement, Yezdaan Baber, Director of Technology, Belvedere Trading, said “In current trading environments, delivering reliable and superior performance and ultra-low latency can represent the difference between being profitable and losing opportunities.”
“Our continued investment in Force10 switches reflects our confidence in their technology mapping seamlessly to the needs of our business,” added Baber.
Based on a recent network performance and power test, Force10’s S4810 access switch demonstrated as much as 5 percent to 70 percent lower latency than comparable switches in a 10 GbE configuration. The test was conducted by independent analyst and publisher Nick Lippis of The Lippis Report and Ixia (News 
- Alert), a leader in converged IP network test solutions.
The S4810’s 1.28 Tbps (full-duplex) non-blocking, cut-through switching fabric delivers line-rate performance under full load with ultra low latency. The compact S4810 switch design provides 64 10 GbE worth of throughput in a combination of 10 GbE and 40 GbE feeds, said the supplier.
FTOS, the modular Force10 operating system software, runs on both the C-Series resilient core switches and the S4810, providing Belvedere with a L2 and L3 feature richness, including internet group management protocol (IGMP) multicasting and high availability provided by stacking. FTOS also provides underlying code stability and advanced monitoring and serviceability functions, including real-time network and application traffic monitoring.
Further adding to the above comment, Arpit Joshipura, chief marketing officer at Force10 Networks, said, “Force10 has a rich heritage of delivering reliable, high-performance switching solutions to environments grappling with huge files or high transaction levels,” said “Coupling low latency requirements and advanced L3 software features provides a unique value to customers in HFT environments.”
Ashok Bindra is a veteran writer and editor with more than 25 years of editorial experience covering RF/wireless technologies, semiconductors and power electronics. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard
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