Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600

Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 or MERS 8600 is a modular chassis router and/or switch manufactured by Nortel now acquired by Ciena. The MERS 8600 supports the Provider Backbone Bridges (PBB), Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) technologies and carrier class Operations Administration & Maintenance (OAM) tools.

Configurable as a 1.440 Terabit Switch cluster using SMLT and RSMLT protocols, cluster failover (normally less than 100 millisecond).


British Telecom (BT) is using the MERS 8600 PBB/PBT technologies in its 21st Century Network (21CN) and India has selected this platform for the most extensive IP network ever deployed by an international airport in India.

The MERS 8600 has 3 chassis options

  • 8006, 6-slot chassis for backbones of low density or high space premium
  • 8010, 10-slot chassis for high availability and high scalability
  • 8010CO, 10-slot NEBS-compliant chassis.

The chassis can be configured with one or two CPU modules (8692SF), and is normally configured with two or three load balancing power supplies.

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