02/02/2021 – CASwell, a leading manufacturer of innovative and high-performance SD-WAN (uCPE/vCPE) and network security systems, is launching the new CAR-6011 rackmount appliance based on the latest second generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processor providing a flexible network architecture for up to 24 Ethernet ports that can reach up to 100 Gigabit/s depending on configuration. The CAR-6011 is targeted for firewall solutions and unified threat management (UTM) but can also be used by network and service providers as a backup solution.
The CASwell CAR-6011 by standard already offers eight Gigabit-Ethernet RJ45 ports but also has two front loading slots for network adapters using the manufacturer’s own designed network configuration. These proprietary NIP modules each provides up to eight high-speed Ethernet ports. Recommended modules are the NIP-83040 for four 10-Gigabit-Ethernet or the NIP-83080 with eight 10-GbE connectors. Each network module is connected to the processor by PCI Express 3.0 x8 interface to guarantee high bandwidth. Even the NIP-88010 modules with two 100-Gigabit-Ethernet ports each can be integrated for the highest network performance if speed is more important than the number of Ethernet ports.
To add networking flexibility and throughput, the CAR-6011 provides an internal PCI Express x8 slot that can hold a full-height PCIe x16 card. This enables the configuration with a FPGA card like the Intel FPGA Programmable Acceleration Card N3000 to maximize versatility in communication infrastructures by supporting the main system processor with its customization possibilities and full programmability for many different and maybe even yet unknown network protocols.
The CAR-6011 also features two front slots for 2.5-inch traditional hard drives or solid state drives for high-end storage options. These drives can be connected by standard SATA or by fast U.2. Additionally, the board is prepared for M.2 storage if required.
To power all these different networking and storage configurations, the CAR-6011 is based on the second generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (Cascade Lake) with up to 28 cores. The latest Xeon-SP series offers higher frequencies, supports faster and more main memory than the previous generation, provides hardware mitigation against Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities without affecting performance and can also be equipped with Optane DC Persistent Memory for use as an even larger main memory or for storage caching.
While a wide range of Intel Xeon-SP models are supported, CASwell recommends a Xeon N SKU like the Xeon Gold 6252N with 24 cores or the Xeon Gold 5218N with 16 cores for the CAR-6011 because these processor models were built for workloads typical of networking usage. As some network providers have strict power budgets, the Xeon N models deliver additional performance with higher frequencies at the same thermal design power compared to equivalent models.
The processor of the CAR-6011 can be combined with up to six DDR4 ECC memory modules with speeds of 2400 to 2933 MHz for a main memory of up to 384 GB. Alternatively, some or all of these slots can be equipped with Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory for even more RAM or storage cache as Optane modules can carry up to 512 GByte each. Two common redundant 500 watt power supply units provide permanent electricity for the appliance even in case of one failure. LEDs on the front panel show system health and activity and monitoring by IPMI 2.0 is supported.
The CASwell CAR-6011 is now available to order and provides the best solution for network management in almost every industry sector looking for a highly configurable and versatile high-speed networking device for firewall or threat management purposes. And as usual, the CAR-6011 can be equipped and configured according to customer demand or requirement.
Please contact your local CASwell representative or sales for any questions!
More information about the CASwell CAR-6011 can be found here:
cas-well.com/products/network-security-and-management/1u-network-appliance/car6011.html
Please find out more about the Intel Xeon Scalable processors and the Intel FPGA Programmable Acceleration Card N3000 here:
intel.com/xeonscalable
intel.com/content/www/us/en/programmable/products/boards_and_kits/dev-kits/altera/intel-fpga-pac-n3000/overview.html
