Foundry Networks
Encyclopedia
Foundry Networks, Inc. was a networking hardware
vendor selling high-end Ethernet
switches
and routers. The company was founded in 1996 by Bobby R. Johnson, Jr. and was headquartered in Santa Clara, California
, USA. In its first year the company operated under the names Perennium Networks and StarRidge Networks, but by January 1997 the name Foundry Networks was adopted.
Foundry Networks designed, manufactured and sold high-end enterprise and service provider switches and routers, as well as wireless, security, and traffic management solutions. It was best known for its Layer 2 & 3 Ethernet switches. Foundry Networks was the first company to build and ship a gigabit Ethernet switch in 1997; to build a Layer 3 switch, also in 1997; to build the first Layer 4-7
switch in 1998 and to include 10 gigabit Ethernet single connectors in its boxes (since 2001).
Foundry Networks' product lines consisted of the BigIron, EdgeIron, FastIron, IronPoint, IronView, NetIron, SecureIron, and ServerIron.
According to a Dell’Oro report published in Q106, Foundry Networks ranked number 4 in a total market share of over US$3,659 million, and its ServerIron application switch ranks number 1 in the world for total port shipments.
for approximately $3 billion in cash and stock. On November 7, they agreed to a reduced purchase price of roughly $2.6bn in an all-cash transaction when Brocade was unable to come up with a $400M tranche of financing required to complete the original deal. A meeting was scheduled for December 17, 2008, where shareholders approved the amended agreement.
The acquisition was completed on December 18, 2008. According to Mike Klayko, CEO of the combined companies, "The close of the Foundry acquisition will significantly enhance our ability to deliver on our mission of connecting the world's most important information. Brocade will now be able to offer a comprehensive IP and data center networking solution portfolio capable of addressing emerging market technology trends while meeting the needs of the world's most demanding, data-intensive organizations."
Qatalyst Partners advised Brocade on financial matters, and Cooley Godward Kronish LLP was Brocade's legal adviser.
Networking hardware
Networking hardware typically refers to equipment facilitating the use of a computer network. Typically, this includes routers, switches, hubs, gateways, access points, network interface cards, Networking cables, network bridges, modems, ISDN adapters, firewalls and other equipments.In the most...
vendor selling high-end Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
switches
Network switch
A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments.The term commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer of the OSI model...
and routers. The company was founded in 1996 by Bobby R. Johnson, Jr. and was headquartered in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, USA. In its first year the company operated under the names Perennium Networks and StarRidge Networks, but by January 1997 the name Foundry Networks was adopted.
Application delivery controller
An application delivery controller is a network device in the datacenter that helps perform common tasks done by web sites in an effort to remove load from the web servers themselves. Many also provide load balancing. They usually sit between the firewall/router and the web farm. The ADC is in...
switch in 1998 and to include 10 gigabit Ethernet single connectors in its boxes (since 2001).
Foundry Networks' product lines consisted of the BigIron, EdgeIron, FastIron, IronPoint, IronView, NetIron, SecureIron, and ServerIron.
According to a Dell’Oro report published in Q106, Foundry Networks ranked number 4 in a total market share of over US$3,659 million, and its ServerIron application switch ranks number 1 in the world for total port shipments.
Acquisition by Brocade Communications Systems
On July 21, 2008, Foundry management agreed to allow the company to be acquired by storage networking company Brocade Communications SystemsBrocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. , based in Silicon Valley , is a vendor of storage area network hardware and software. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells networking products and management applications for local, metro, and wide area networks...
for approximately $3 billion in cash and stock. On November 7, they agreed to a reduced purchase price of roughly $2.6bn in an all-cash transaction when Brocade was unable to come up with a $400M tranche of financing required to complete the original deal. A meeting was scheduled for December 17, 2008, where shareholders approved the amended agreement.
The acquisition was completed on December 18, 2008. According to Mike Klayko, CEO of the combined companies, "The close of the Foundry acquisition will significantly enhance our ability to deliver on our mission of connecting the world's most important information. Brocade will now be able to offer a comprehensive IP and data center networking solution portfolio capable of addressing emerging market technology trends while meeting the needs of the world's most demanding, data-intensive organizations."
Qatalyst Partners advised Brocade on financial matters, and Cooley Godward Kronish LLP was Brocade's legal adviser.