Force10 Networks®, the pioneer in building and securing reliable networks, announced that it has been awarded a patent for its innovations in system-level packet processing that guarantee predictable performance regardless of traffic conditions. The advances protected by Force10’s 20th patent increase processing productivity with a more efficient packet handling scheme that is crucial to delivering the performance and reliability enterprise networks require.

“With 20 patents related to high performance routing and switching, these latest process improvements demonstrate our on-going commitment to delivering reliable network infrastructure,” said Joel Goergen, chief scientist and vice president of technology. “These performance and reliability advances, coupled with our scalable and resilient architecture, help ensure our customers view their network investment as a business asset rather than a cost center.”

The latest patent protects a new technique that increases packet processing efficiency and provides more predictable performance. The Force10 advance is an improvement over traditional run and stop processes that can delay data processing and lower system-level performance, particularly when traffic is unpredictable. In a run and stop scheme, a process with no data packets to handle is idle while waiting for the next packet to be delivered to a single FIFO queue.

With the use of first-in, first-out (FIFO) queues between the multiple processing stages, Force10 accelerates data transmissions between network devices while reducing overall latency between commands that receive and send data. This advanced technique allows each processing stage to operate independently, rather than in synch with other processes, increasing packet processing speed and eliminating the potential for packet loss due to backlogs.

This patent, as well as 19 others that protect key innovations in system design and packet processing, underpin the Force10 Reliable Networking product portfolio. Collectively, these advances provide the reliability, network control and scalability organizations need to build a high performance network that meets today’s demands and can adapt to future requirements.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in building and securing reliable, high performance networks. With its no compromise approach to networking and advances in high density Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet switching, routing and security, Force10 delivers the innovative technologies that allow customers to transform their networks into strategic assets at the lowest total cost of ownership. For additional information, please visit www.force10networks.com.

Force10 Networks and E-Series are registered trademarks, and C-Series, P-Series, S-Series, TeraScale and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.