7/25/2005 -- Troubled networking giant Nortel Networks last week announced the Ethernet Routing Switch 5530-24TFD, a stackable 10/100/1000/10000Mbps Ethernet Layer 3 routing switch that provides Gigabit copper or fiber connections and dual 10 Gigabit uplinks.

The ERS 5530-24TFD is intended to help Nortel compete more successfully against enterprise switching kingpin Cisco Systems Inc, along with competitors like Enterasys. While it probably won’t dislodge a significant number of Cisco customers, the ERS 5530-24TFD does correct several long-standing deficiencies in Nortel’s switching line.

“This latest member of the ERS 5000 product family brings the necessary port diversity to the product line to be able [to] compete effectively with the broader portfolios of competitors,” says Steven Schuchart, an analyst with consultancy Current Analysis Inc. “In particular, the addition of 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports is important to Nortel and the ERS 5000 line, because the availability of 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports has become the norm for the current generation of fixed configuration stackable switches.”

In addition, says Schuchart, there’s fiber connectivity, long-absent from Nortel’s ERS 5000 switches.

Nevertheless, Schuchart notes, with the new ERS 5530-24TFD, Nortel is once again playing catch-up. “From a competitive standpoint, the introduction of the ERS 5530-24TFD is a response to competitive pressure, rather than a technological leap forward. By providing the functionality in the ERS 5530-24TFD at the introduction of the line, Nortel could have had a step on competitors.”

What’s more, Schuchart indicates, the new ERS 5530-24TFD doesn’t address all of the shortcomings of the ERS 5000 series.

“[T]he ERS 5530-24TFD can classify, prioritize and redirect IPv6 traffic, but it cannot natively route IPv6 packets. This limiting factor puts Nortel at a competitive disadvantage in specific geographic and vertical markets when competing against IPv6-enabled hardware,” he points out. -Stephen Swoyer