Force10 Networks unveiled the first hardware in a line of what is expected to be a broad networking virtualization strategy aimed at both streamlining enterprise networks and getting them ready for cloud connectivity.

The ExaScale E-Series of routers and switches supports 10 GbE environments with the capability of providing upwards of 100 Gbps per slot, for a total throughput of more than 2 billion packets per second. The total switching fabric can exceed 3.5 Tbps, supplemented by continuous non-blocking line rate throughput to eliminate bottlenecks. The devices run on the FTOS platform that also drives the company's Reliable Networking switch and router lines.

The devices are part of the company's Virtualization Framework that seeks to streamline the management of virtual networks. The package includes the company's VirtualScale consolidation software, as well as the VirtualControl partitioning system and VirtualView monitoring and automation stack.

Force10 has placed its future squarely on the Ethernet side of enterprise networking. Earlier this year, it acquired Turin Networks, a maker of carrier Ethernet and wireless backhaul systems. A carrier presence should give Force10 leverage outside the enterprise as more and more cloud services begin to show up over public networks.

A half-rack ExaScale system is available right now at a list price of $89,000. A third-rack system is due out by the fall.