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01 What NetIron was
NetIron was the name Foundry Networks gave to products sold as routers rather than switches. The hardware was often close to the BigIron chassis of the same period, but the software image, the table sizes and the target customer differed. NetIron went to ISPs, Internet exchange points, research networks and universities that needed full BGP tables and, later, MPLS. The core router page covers what that role requires.
02 Generations
| Model | Approximate years | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetIron 400 / 800 | 1999 to 2003 | Internet core and ISP aggregation | Chassis routers, wire-speed BGP4 and OSPF |
| NetIron IMR 640 | Around 2004 | Provider edge | MPLS, BGP/MPLS VPN, Terathon-era hardware |
| NetIron XMR | 2006 to about 2020 | Internet core | Very large route tables, IPv6, 10 Gigabit dense |
| NetIron MLX | 2006 to about 2020 | Metro and enterprise core | Same chassis family as XMR, smaller tables, MPLS services |
| NetIron CES 2000 | Around 2008 | Carrier Ethernet edge | Compact, MPLS and VPLS at the customer edge |
| Brocade MLXe | 2010 to about 2020 | Core | Successor chassis, continued by Extreme Networks |
03 Capabilities
The first NetIron routers sold on wire-speed forwarding of full Internet tables in hardware, which in 1999 was still novel. The IMR 640 brought MPLS label switching and BGP/MPLS VPNs, the model described on the MPLS VPN page. The XMR and MLX added VPLS and VLL for Layer 2 services over MPLS, dual-stack IPv6 forwarding covered under IPv6 transition, IS-IS, multicast and sFlow export from every port. The XMR differed from the MLX mainly in memory and table capacity rather than in feature set.
show ip bgp summary show ip route summary show mpls lsp show mpls vpls show ipv6 route summary
04 NetIron models and dates that the filings and captures confirm
The generations table lists the models most asked about; the dated record names more. Foundry's 10-K for 2001 describes the NetIron 400, 800 and 1500 as Metro routers with MetroLink interface modules, a full MPLS suite including VPLS, and the metro ring and virtual switch redundancy protocols. The 10-K for 2003 names the NetIron 40G as one of the first two Terathon products, with the BigIron MG8. A capture of the family page from October 2006 lists the XMR, the MLX, the IMR 640, the 40G, the 400/800/1500, the M2404 MPLS metro access switch and the NetIron 4802 compact router in a 1.5U chassis, all on Multi-Service IronWare.
The 10-K for 2007 states that IPv6 interface modules for the MLX and XMR were delivered in 2006. The Common Criteria Security Target of July 2008 names the evaluated units as the XMR and MLX in 4, 8, 16 and 32 slot chassis on IronWare 3.8.00a. Brocade's 2009 annual report lists the MLX, XMR and CES as current products and the CER as still in development at the acquisition.
| Model | Where it is named | What the source adds |
|---|---|---|
| NetIron 400 / 800 / 1500 | 10-K for 2001; 2006 capture | MetroLink modules, MPLS, VPLS, MRP and VSRP |
| NetIron 40G | 10-K for 2003; 2006 capture | First Terathon router; dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 |
| NetIron 4802 and M2404 | 2006 capture | Compact 1.5U router; MPLS metro access switch |
| NetIron XMR and MLX, 4 to 32 slots | Security Target, July 2008 | IronWare 3.8.00a in the evaluated configuration |
| NetIron CES and CER | Brocade 10-K for 2009 | CES current; CER in development at the acquisition |
05 Who ran them
Regional and national ISPs used NetIron at peering and aggregation points. Several Internet exchange points ran MLX or XMR chassis as their switching fabric because of dense 10 Gigabit and sFlow. Research and education networks deployed them as campus cores and regional backbones. Enterprises with MPLS between sites used the MLX where a full service provider router was too costly. The install base was small compared with the market leaders but loyal, and many chassis stayed in service for over a decade.
FoundryNet is an independent archive, not affiliated with Foundry Networks, Brocade, Broadcom or Extreme Networks. End of sale and end of support dates given here are approximate; verify them against the successor vendor notice for the exact model.
06 After Foundry
Brocade kept the NetIron name and released the MLXe chassis around 2010 with higher fabric capacity while retaining the line cards and software train. When Extreme Networks bought the Brocade data center networking business in 2017, the MLX, MLXe and CES/CER lines moved with it. Extreme announced end of sale for the family in stages toward the end of the 2010s and into the early 2020s, with support running some years beyond. The Brocade acquisition page covers the corporate transitions.
07 Running one today
An XMR or MLX is a data center chassis: high power draw, heavy, and loud enough to need a dedicated room. The NetIron 400 and 800 are smaller but older and have no supported software at all. The CES 2000 is the only member compact enough for a bench. Firmware for MLX and XMR is available only to customers with a support contract, and the last releases carry known vulnerabilities in management services. For a lab the value is real MPLS, VPLS and full-table BGP in hardware, which is hard to find at second-hand prices otherwise. At the other end of the size range, the AccessIron WAN edge line tried to carry the same IronWare routing CLI to T1/E1 branch sites and did not last; both are indexed in the archive of Foundry platforms.
08 Checking a NetIron claim on the chassis and in the record
Claims about table sizes are often wrong because the XMR and MLX shared a chassis and differed in memory. Do not accept a route capacity figure without a datasheet capture for the exact card and release. On a unit in hand, the commands below show what is loaded. Record the capture date of any archived page you rely on, in the manner set out for retaining vendor manuals with their dates, and treat the chain from claim to evidence the way the provenance guides treat a claim about traffic.
device# show version device# show module device# show ip bgp device# show ip ospf device# show ip route device# show log
- Pitfall: a chassis labelled XMR with MLX management modules fitted behaves as an MLX.
show moduleis the only reliable check. - Pitfall: the evaluated IronWare 3.8.00a required SSH version 2 for remote administration; older images may still allow Telnet.
- Pitfall: the Security Target says nothing about releases or cards outside the evaluated configuration.
09 Questions
What is the difference between NetIron XMR and MLX?
They shared a chassis family and software. The XMR carried more memory and larger forwarding tables for Internet core roles with full BGP tables. The MLX targeted metro, enterprise and data-center cores with the same MPLS feature set at lower cost.
Did NetIron routers support MPLS?
From the IMR 640 onward, yes. The IMR 640 introduced label switching and BGP/MPLS VPNs around 2004. The XMR and MLX added VPLS and VLL for Layer 2 services, and the CES 2000 brought MPLS to the carrier Ethernet edge.
Are NetIron MLX and XMR still supported?
They passed to Extreme Networks in 2017 and reached end of sale in stages around the end of the 2010s and early 2020s. Support windows extended some years beyond that. Check the successor vendor notice for the specific model and line card.
Who used Foundry NetIron routers?
ISPs, Internet exchange points, research and education networks and some large enterprises. The exchange point use case was driven by dense 10 Gigabit ports and sFlow; the enterprise use case by MPLS between sites at a lower cost than provider-class routers.
Is a NetIron practical for a homelab?
Rarely. The chassis models draw high power and are very loud, and firmware requires a support contract. The CES 2000 is the exception in size. The appeal is hardware MPLS and full-table BGP, which no small second-hand device otherwise offers.
Which NetIron models are missing from most summaries?
The NetIron 1500, the NetIron 40G, the compact NetIron 4802 and the M2404 MPLS metro access switch. All four appear in dated sources: the 10-K filings for 2001 and 2003 and a capture of the NetIron family page from October 2006. Summaries built from the XMR and MLX era alone tend to omit them.