ProCurve rolls out three new switch series

ProCurve Networking by HP yesterday added three new series of switches to its Layer 2 stackable Ethernet product line, rounding out its switch offering for companies of all sizes.

The three series, comprising five new switches, will be available next month. The ProCurve Switch 2810 Series, the 1800 Series and the 2510-24 Series offer such features as fan-less or reduced-noise operation, a Web-based user interface, and smaller sizes.

The largest of the three new series, the ProCurve Switch 2810, comes in both 24- and 48-port stackable configurations, with a smaller form factor for wiring closets. The Layer 2 Gigabit managed switch has 10/100/1000 connectivity and can be used for traffic prioritization, user authentication or traffic monitoring. The series also works in bandwidth-hogging applications such as graphical data, video streams, large database activity, and data storage.

Darla Sommerville, vice president and general manager of ProCurve Americas, said that the 2810 is aimed at users who run basic applications and don't require the Layer 3 features in ProCurve's 2800 Switch Series.

The 1800 Series is ProCurve's first jump into the Web-managed switch arena. It has out-of-the-box Gigabit connectivity and comes in two models: The 1800-8G is a small, fan-less desktop switch for connecting small workgroups and extending connectivity into conference rooms or classrooms; the 1800-24G is designed for environments that need larger port density. The 24G also has two optional Gigabit fiber uplinks for connecting to a core or distribution switch.

ProCurve's worldwide segment marketing manager, Mike Verdugo, said that the 1800 series is designed for SMBs and distributed branch offices. The switches do not have a console port or command line interface and can be managed using a Web interface.

Lastly, the 2510-24 is a 24-port 10/100 managed Ethernet switch. It is small enough for a wiring closet or desktop. It has no fan, making it ideal for public areas or open spaces. The 2510-24 has two dual-personality ports, two 10/100/1000 ports for server connectivity or stacking, and two optional Gigabit Mini-GBIC slots for fiber connectivity for longer-distance uplinks.