Cisco to Deliver Larger, Faster Switches

Cisco Systems Inc. said it will begin shipping the first version of a larger, faster switch in June, filling a gap in the line of networking products that it sells to large businesses. Cisco customers are now testing the product, Catalyst 8500, said Jayshree Ullal, vice president of marketing for Cisco’s enterprise line of business. The No. 1 maker of equipment that links computers to corporate networks and the Internet will ship another version with added features by September, Ullal said. Several Cisco rivals already have begun volume shipping of switches that use gigabit Ethernet, Layer-3 technology, which moves data along networks 10 times faster than existing switches at a fraction of the cost. Rival products from Bay Networks Inc. and Cabletron Systems Inc. are either faster or cheaper. The Catalyst 8500 also supports communication technologies used in older networks at higher speeds than competing products. San Jose-based Cisco sells about 80% of the routers bought by large corporate customers.