Abstract

Tolly Group Report #202136 (July 2002) tested Extreme Networks’ BlackDiamond 6800 with a 10 GLRi 10 GbE module against Foundry’s BigIron 8000 with a B10Gx interface, measuring zero-loss Layer-3 throughput and advanced feature impact over a single 10 Gb/s uplink.

Baseline performance—both chassis delivered comparable full-duplex wire-speed throughput in plain forwarding tests.

Advanced features reveal the gap. With ACL logging active, BlackDiamond kept line rate while BigIron fell 51%. Enabling 802.1p/802.1Q QoS, Extreme again held 100% throughput, whereas BigIron dropped 98% of high-priority traffic. Under congestion with IEEE flow-control enabled, BlackDiamond forwarded 100% of packets; BigIron managed only 84%.

Take-away: Extreme’s BlackDiamond 6800 matches Foundry’s baseline 10 GbE throughput yet maintains wire-speed under ACL, QoS, and flow-control stress, making it the stronger choice for enterprises that rely on high-bandwidth links with policy enforcement and traffic management.