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Convergence Creates “Ethernet with Supercomputing Heritage”

ARCADIA, Calif., June 20, 2005 – Myricom, Inc., the leading global provider of high-performance cluster-interconnect technology, is unveiling network communications solutions that combine the techniques of “high-performance computing” (HPC) with 10-Gigabit Ethernet for industry-best cost-performance.  Available in September, the new Myri-10G switches and Network Interface Cards (NICs) bring the advantages of Myricom’s industry-leading HPC technology, Myrinet, to Ethernet at compelling price points.  Myri-10G makes the most challenging applications affordable for mainstream enterprises while allowing traditional HPC users and clustering applications to leverage the ubiquity of Ethernet.

In use in nearly 40% of the TOP500 Supercomputers, Myricom’s Myrinet technology is the global leader in high-speed networking for high-performance computing applications in cluster and grid computing.  Since their introduction a decade ago, Myrinet-based NICs and switches have consistently outperformed contemporary Ethernet solutions in cluster applications, with price-performance advantages including high data rates, high availability, low latency, and low cost.  The new Myri-10G solutions extend Myrinet’s architectural and performance advantages to 10-Gigabit speeds while also providing full interoperability with 10-Gigabit Ethernet.

"With the introduction of Myri-10G, Myrinet can now offer customers both high-performance 10 Gigabit Myrinet, as well as standards-compliant 10 Gigabit Ethernet," said Joel Conover, Principal Analyst of Enterprise Infrastructure at Current Analysis.  "Myricom's new Myri-10G products take high performance computing to the next level, and does so at a price point that makes 10 Gigabit a compelling technology for any data center."

Ethernet Extended: Switching on New Apps

The new Myri-10G switches provide from 16 to 128 ports in single enclosures with list prices as low as $400 per port.  Multiple switches can be interconnected to service tens of thousands of host computers.  Myri-10G NICs are “bilingual,” capable of working with standard 10-Gigabit Ethernet enterprise switches as well as with economical, highly scalable, 10G Myrinet switches.  Additionally, protocol-conversion devices will connect 10G Myrinet switch fabrics to 10-Gigabit Ethernet IP networks and storage.  The new Myri-10G offerings extend key architectural advantages of Myrinet high-performance networking to Ethernet:

• Powerful NICs. Whereas most Ethernet NICs are “dumb,” relying on host-operating-system cycles for direction, Myrinet NICs include processors and firmware with the capabilities of interacting directly with application programs (OS bypass) and handling network protocols (protocol offload) without burdening hosts or disturbing the host operating system.  In addition to offloading host processing, this approach reduces network latency;

• Cut-through routing. In contrast with Ethernet store-and-forward routing, Myrinet switches steer packets according to routing instructions at the head of the packet.  The packet “cuts through” the switch without buffering or delay;

• Source Routing. Myrinet routes are determined by the source NIC, allowing the most efficient paths to be determined in real time, versus Ethernet, which is routed according to destination.  Myrinet uses alternative communication paths between hosts to increase network throughput and avoid congestion;

• Increased Scalability in Switch Networks. Ethernet’s Layer-2 spanning-tree algorithm limits networks to single routes between switches.  Layer-3 IP routing enables multiple switch-to-switch links, but introduces additional cost and delay.  Myrinet optimizes scalability with layer-2 source routing that allows efficient use of multiple switch-to-switch links.  Myri-10G networks can scale easily to tens of thousands of hosts with “full bisection” throughput;

• Host offload. Myri-10G NICs offload protocol processing to mitigate the burden placed on host computers by high-speed communication.  The offload techniques employed include zero-copy operation, type matching, IP checksum offload, and interrupt aggregation;

• Low-latency networking. The Myri-10G solution achieves 2-microsecond user-level latency with OS-bypass application programming interfaces such as MPI, versus 10-microsecond user-level latency with the best 10-Gigabit Ethernet implementations;

• ANSI standard since 1998.  The Myri-10G components adhere both to the ANSI Myrinet standard (ANSI/VITA 26-1998) and to IEEE Ethernet standards, including the IEEE 802.3ae standard for 10-Gigabit Ethernet.

According to Dr. Chuck Seitz, Myricom founder and CEO, the new Myri-10G NICs and switches strike an ideal balance between speed, cost, and interoperability that will enable a new class of applications in the mainstream enterprise.  “We invented Myrinet ten years ago to meet the specialized needs of scientists and engineers with very demanding computing requirements,” says Dr. Seitz.  “Today, global industry has evolved to a point where what was once deemed ‘high-performance computing’ can be deployed in mainstream businesses, provided that solutions are affordable. We’re as excited to see what companies do with this new Myri-10G solution as we were to anticipate the rise of clustering ten years ago.”

Combining the efficiencies inherent in Myrinet with the familiarity and next-gen speeds of Ethernet at such attractive price points will promote revolutionary applications across broad-based industries.  Along with high-end storage applications, clustering and grid computing, mainstream enterprises can leverage Myri-10G solutions to introduce or optimize functions such as databases, cluster file systems, transaction processing, massive analysis and optimization problems, and high-performance web servers and search engines.

Pricing & Availability

Myri-10G Network Interface Cards with 10GBase-CX4 ports will list for $795, a savings of more than 50% versus competing enterprise solutions.  Other 10-Gigabit physical layers, including fiber, will also be available.  The family of Myri-10G switches will include a standalone 1U 16-port switch with a list price of $6,400, and “network in a box” switches up to 128 ports.  The new offerings will ship in September 2005.

About Myricom

Founded in 1994, Myricom, Inc., created Myrinet, the high-performance computing (HPC) interconnect technology in use in many thousands of computing clusters in more than 50 countries, and in more TOP500 Supercomputers than any other network.  Privately held, Myricom achieved and sustained profitability since 1995 with forty consecutive profitable quarters through March 2005.  Based in Arcadia, California, Myricom solutions are sold direct and through channels.  Myrinet clusters are supplied by OEM computer companies including IBM, HP, Dell, Linux Networx, and Sun, and by a worldwide network of high-quality cluster integrators.