Mellanox Spectrum

Spectrum is a line of the switches optimized for software-defined (SDN) and horizontally scalable virtualized switching networks.

2019

Mellanox Spectrum MSN2100, MSN2700 and MSN2410 are tested on compatibility with Astra Linux of SE

On June 24, 2019 the Astra Linux group, the developer of the Russian market of operating systems, reported that together with Mellanox Technologies company, the producer of high-speed switching solutions, announce expansion of the technology partnership.

The companies successfully carried out tests on compatibility of three models from a line of the Mellanox Spectrum switches (MSN2100, MSN2700, MSN2410) with the special purpose operating system Astra Linux Special Edition release Smolensk of version 1.6. Earlier, spring of 2019, vendors announced the beginning of cooperation and signing of the certificate of compatibility of model of the Mellanox MSN2010 and Astra Linux Special Edition switch. Thus, the working capacity and correctness of functioning of all four models of a line of the Mellanox Spectrum switches with the special purpose operating system Astra Linux is confirmed officially.

According to test sheets, the following scenarios of work Mellanox Spectrum and Astra Linux Special Edition were tested: L2 switching with Linux bridge; static L3 routing; dynamic L3 routing with OSPF and BGP with the demon of routing of Quagga; aggregation of channels (Bond) using LACP. For each of above-mentioned scenarios engineers held additional stress testing using iPerf between the servers connected via the switch by channels on 25Gb.

The Mellanox company and Astra Linux Group see high potential in development of the partnership including on development of solutions based on the products. Information security tool used in the Astra Linux operating system and regularly released security updates will allow the Mellanox switches to be steadier against cyber attacks.

The Astra Linux operating system familiar to many Russian system administrators on telecommunication equipment will allow to unify service of ADP equipment in the organizations and to save on training of technicians. The customer will have an opportunity to construct modern DPCs, to provide fulfillment of requirements on high-speed performance of information systems without loss of quality in the equipment and failures in workflow, comments Roman Mylitsyn, the director of a product of Astra Linux Group

Successful integration of our products seriously expands the choice of the Russian customers. Now they will be able to use in the systems the advanced high-performance equipment on the Russian operating system. Moreover, installation of Astra Linux on the Mellanox switches will not lead to increase in their cost that is also an important factor at decision making, notes Leonid Ziskind, the chief representative of Mellanox company in the Russian Federation and Eastern Europe

Compatibility with Astra Linux Special Edition

On March 13, 2019 the Astra Linux group, the developer of the Russian market of operating systems, reported that together with Mellanox Technologies, the producer of switching solutions, tests on compatibility of the products — the Mellanox Spectrum switches and the special purpose operating system Astra Linux Special Edition of version 1.6 successfully completed. Read more here.

2017

Description of a line of switches

For July, 2017 the line of the Spectrum switches includes the high-performance systems of rack switches with an open architecture of Open Ethernet. The open platform allows to use different operating systems – MLNX-OS, Cumulus Linux and also any freely extended Linux distribution kit open source.

Switches are optimized for software-defined networks (SDN) and horizontally scalable virtualized switching networks. Creation of switching network is conducted using the standard Layer 2 and 3 protocols. Integration into third-party software products using open interfaces is supported.

Scope of application: the superhigh-end servers and storage systems, convergent data processing centers of the big sizes intended for processing of corporate data, cloud computing, analytics of data, machine learning, work with Big Data.

Line of the Spectrum switches

Open Ethernet

The ideology of Open Ethernet is opposite to the proprietary approach used by many vendors of network equipment. Open Ethernet offers disaggregation of the platform of the network device on the independent unified components: hardware, OS and network applications. The possibility of use of different components, including solution open-source, leads to cutting of costs for the maintenance of network and allows to optimize a configuration of the network device under own needs.

In Open Ethernet solutions most often as the operating system one of Linux options is used. It gives the chance to unify use of OS in all infrastructure of DPC, to apply the uniform principles and management tools and monitoring to servers and network devices.

The Mellanox Spectrum switches work with any distribution kit of open Linux: Ubuntu, Red hat, Fedora, SUSE, BaseAlt. Also there is a commercial Cumulus Linux option having an expanded set of applications and functionality with ready management tools and monitoring.

The Mellanox company together with BaseALT executed integration of ALT OS into the equipment. The ALT operating system was used as network OS on the Spectrum switches.

Mellanox Switchdev

On standard Wednesday of the Linux Mellanox servers developed open-source for integration of network equipment the Switchdev driver. The driver is compiled in a core any Linux and allows it to use high-speed network switch ports as the network adapters Linux.

As a result, using standard utilities of Linux, ports can be switched, integrated in Bond (LACP), to separate into subnets (VLAN), to route, filter and prioritize (Quality of Service/QoS) traffic.

The Switchdev driver reflects the network Linux configuration in iron for full-fledged L2/L3 of switching. In case of Switchdev use development of proprietary network applications can be conducted with any Linux API, no special SDK will be required.

Spectrum-2

In July, 2017 the company Mellanox Technologies announced release of Spectrum-2, scalable 200 and 400 Gbps of Open Ethernet switch. Spectrum-2 is designed for ensuring adaptive scalability DPC and designed to reduce operating costs data centers.

High-performance rack Open Ethernet can bear the Spectrum switches of the second generation to 16 ports 400gbit/s, up to 32 ports 200gbit/s, up to 64 ports 100gbit/s or up to 128 ports 10/25/50gbit/s. Performance of a matrix of switching is 6.4 Tbit / page. Devices are distinguished by low power consumption (less than 7 Watts to transfer 9.52 billion packets per second to port 200gbit/s), capability and also the optimized function of static and dynamic balancing of loading.

Features of Spectrum-2

• Flexibility of programmability;
• Balancing of loading at the expense of what losses of packets are excluded and is reached the high performance of switching;
• Short delay of switching — 300 nanoseconds;
• Optimization of a possibility of routing for creation of computing farms and data warehouses based on Ethernet technology;
• The high density of Ethernet-ports on one device;
• A wide choice of models of the switching platforms optimized for cloud computing, gipermasshabiruyemy IT infrastructures, corporate DPCs, Big Data, AI, DWH and other applications;
• The innovation design (allows to optimize network for specific customer requirements and to increase return from investments into infrastructure of DPC);
• Energy efficiency.

Open Ethernet the Spectrum-2 switch will allow our clients and partners to meet the highest requirements to transmission rate, processings and to data analysis in real time. With tenfold scalability, energy efficiency, complete programmability and flexibility and also a possibility of free migration to speeds of 200 and 400 Gbps of Spectrum-2 will allow data processing centers to increase return from investments and to satisfy future requirements of network infrastructure of DPC — Gilad Sheyner, the marketing vice president in Mellanox Technologies said

Spectrum-2 processes a full range of network protocols directly in ASIC efficiently, providing to customers all necessary network functionality in DPC. Besides, the solution includes the flexible syntax analyzer and the modifier of network packets which can be programmed for processing of new types of future protocols, thereby providing future requirements of data processing centers, specified in Mellanox Technologies.

The switch is an optimal basis for Ethernet of the storage area networks used in high-performance All-flash of DWH of new generations and combines flexibility and scalability in a cloud with reliability of the solution of the enterprise level, claim in Mellanox.

In the whole Spectrum-2 expands possibilities of first generation of the Spectrum switches and allows to reach high performance for network infrastructures from 10 Gbps and above and also to migrate economically with 10gbit/with to speeds of 25, 50 and 100 Gbps.

The Spectrum-2 model supports the same API, as Spectrum (that facilitates for transfer software through SDK Open/SAI API or Switchdev the driver cores Linux) and also all available network operating systems and interfaces, including Cumulus Linux, SONIC, the open Linux distribution kits and many others. Besides, the Spectrum-2 switch supports an extensive set of opportunities of telemetry, including the newest standard of network telemetry which provides to operators unobstructed sight in the network and allows them to trace, diagnose and analyze each aspect of transactions. All this simplifies management of a data processing center and allows to optimize network for satisfaction of requirements of applications.

Spectrum of first generation

According to information for July, 2017 100G of Ethernet the rack Spectrum switches of first generation are high-performance solutions with an open architecture of Open Ethernet. Devices are based on the Ethernet-chip of own development of the same name of Mellanox Technologies company and by a number of parameters are recognized world-best Ethernet switches.

Using the Spectrum switches it is possible to organize Ethernet of DPC network with capacity to 100 GB / with with zero loss of packets of any sizes at any loading and delays on L2/L3 less than 300 nanoseconds for any type of traffic. Are capable to transfer 4.77 billion packets per second. The maximum non-blocking switching — 6.4 Tb / page.

Mellanox Spectrum give an opportunity of the flexible choice of speed of ports in 10, 25, 40, 50 and 100gbit/with to Ethernet (can bear to 32 ports 100/56/40gb or up to 64 ports 50/25/10 GB).

The solutions Spectrum allow to utilize fully network resources and provide high efficiency of operation of applications in DPC. Besides, these switches provide freedom of choice of network OS and management tools network of data processing centers.

The line of the Mellanox Spectrum switches includes:

• SN2700 – 32x100GbE (64x10/25/50GbE)
• SN2410 – 8x100GbE + 48x25GbE
• SN2100 – 16x100GbE (64x25GbE)