Westermo has announced the release of four new 19" industrial routing switches designed for high network traffic applications. The RedFox Industrial Rack (RFIR) is a new generation of industrial routing switches, allowing a step forward in networking performance at the edge of industrial mission critical networks. At the network edge the density of equipment has increased as well as the needs such as enhanced security and network resilience hence the requirement for a new generation of industrial switches.

The RFIR is a high performance layer 3 industrial Ethernet switch designed for high network traffic applications. Four new switch configurations are available that can be further customised with SFP transceivers. The RFIR range runs efficiently on AC or DC power and has either 19 or 27 ports, including 11 gigabit ports. The design is robust and compact which makes it easy to mount into a 19" cabinet and therefore the RFIR range is perfectly suited for use both in control rooms as well as by the trackside, roadside or substation.

The RFIR has a MTBF of 297 000 hours and ensures a long service life. The design is developed for use in heavy duty industrial applications and has been tested by both Westermo and external test houses to meet the many EMC, isolation, vibration and shock standards, all to the highest levels suitable for heavy industrial environments and rail trackside application.

The RedFox Industrial Rack range is powered by the Westermo WeOS network operating system, which is now delivered in 70 different models in the Westermo range. WeOS has been developed by Westermo to allow us to offer cross platform and future proof solutions. WeOS can deliver unique IP security functionality for this class of product, for instance a multiport DMZ can be constructed by utilising the firewall function available in every port. Remote secure access to a network can be provided using encrypted VPNs.

As a Layer 3 routing switch the RedFox is capable of delivering enterprise type routing functionality with OSPF, RIP and VRRP as well as process level ring recovery times of around 20ms even at speeds of 1 gbit/sec utilising Westermo's FRNT protocol.

It has a wide power range of 16 to 60 VDC/120-370 VDC on dual power inputs for resilience and requires 30% less power than the previous generation of Westermo products, a significant benefit for lifetime running costs. A wide operating temperature range -40 to +70?C (-40 to +158?F) can be achieved with no moving parts or cooling holes in the case.