Juniper’s one-layer data center network QFabric has shown extreme performance and scalability in a massive test by an independent benchmarking organization.

Network Test, the tester, ran what Juniper said was the industry’s largest test of the technology – connecting more than 1,500 10GbE ports. The fabric scaled to that number of ports without losing performance or adding complexity, continuing to be managed as a single device.

Notably, it did so even as it was connected to other vendor’s networking products.

David Newman, founder of Network Test, said the test set a new high-water mark for performance of data center networks.

“To show data traffic moving on this scale is a huge deal,” he said. “As data volumes continue to explode, enterprises will need to rethink current data center network design and infrastructure.”

With QFabric, Juniper aimed at simplifying management of data center networks at extreme scales. The system consists of three basic components: a series of top-of rack switches connected to a central Interconnect device and managed by the QFabric Director.

The components work together as a single switch, providing one-hop connectivity from any device to any other device on the network.

Juniper says the system scales much further than the scale of the test. The company claims QFabric can support up to 6,144 ports, providing latency of five microseconds under typical loads.

It supports Layer 2, Layer 3 and Fibre Channel over Ethernet traffic.