Cisco data center strategy goes with pre-standards product

Cisco has delivered its own data center strategy, one that includes specific “pre-standard” support for a kind of layer 2/layer 3 convergence to improve the scaling of networks with a large number of addressable endpoints.

Called FabricPath, the Cisco approach is described as a superset of “TRILL,” an acronym for Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links. This IETF standard is the route other data center switching players are taking. But since the standard isn’t ready yet, and Cisco believes that buyers would rather have a product right now and retrofit standards compliance if they need to.

Of course the Cisco FabricPath approach lets Cisco sell products immediately. We’re noting an increasing lack of interest in rigorous support for standards among enterprises, and that’s been a trend for most of last year in the service provider space. The concern everyone expresses is that the standards process isn’t keeping up with market needs.