Integrated Control Plane Solutions
Metaswitch's portable protocol software can be readily integrated with any operating system and underlying
hardware, as well as custom user applications, third-party components, and legacy systems. It is available
pre-integrated with third-party management, transport and data plane components for a complete out-of-the-box solution. Click
here for details on Component Integration. These components can also be integrated
with third-party software. Please see our Partners pages for more details.
Enterprise routers incorporate a selection of IP Routing protocols,
including OSPF, RIP and BGP, along with static routes. There is also a requirement to leak routes between the
protocols.
Multiprotocol IP Routers
All of Metaswitch's IP Routing product family (DC-BGP, DC-ISIS and
DC-OSPF) share a common Routing Table Manager (DC-RTM), which maintains a master
routing table and controls the leaking of routes between the protocols.
For further information, see
IP Routing Architecture.
Edge Routers combine all of the function of an Enterprise router
(described above), with
-
more extensive inter-domain routing including IS-IS
- MPLS to signal paths across the network core
-
virtual router capabilities with VPN services
- scalability
- redundant architecture for high availability.
MPLS-enabled Routing
Metaswitch's Route Selection Manager (DC-RSM) mediates between
DC-MPLS and DC-OSPF or DC-ISIS to allow RSVP to determine the CSPF route through the
networks. This provides a fully functional IP/MPLS control plane for core, optical
and edge routers.
Virtual Routers
Increasingly, Service Providers wish to provide a different view of the
network to each customer (a VPN). This can be securely and effectively achieved by providing virtual routers for each
customer. Metaswitch's N-BASE architecture enables efficient use of multiple instances of products or of
individual components, and this provides natural support for virtual routers.
BGP/MPLS RFC2547 VPNs
DC-VPN Manager provides label space
management for RFC2547bis VPNs. It integrates with DC-BGP and DC-MPLS to provide
a complete RFC2547bis control plane.
For further details, please see VPN Solutions or
DC-VPN Manager.
Scalability
Metaswitch's IP Routing and MPLS software is designed for massively
scaled systems. This is achieved by
- distributing processor intensive operations to the line cards
- allowing multiple component instances to load-share on
multi-processor systems
- using balanced trees and other efficient indexing of control
blocks, with no hard coded limits.
Redundant Architecture For High Availability
Metaswitch's IP Routing and MPLS software is designed to support
systems that require carrier-class availability. Its features can allow data forwarding to be unaffected and MPLS
signaling only affected minimally by failure of software or hardware. The software achieves this by
- replicating state and configuration information to a hot
standby, which can quickly take over in case of failure of the primary
- distributing components between cards, to allow processing to
continue on failure of one or more cards, while the failed components are restarted.
For further details, please see
High Availability Framework.
Multi-Service Switches combine IP Edge Router functionality (described
above) with ATM, Frame Relay, Ethernet and other layer 2 access methods to provide a single converged access device for
next generation converged networks.
ATM Services
Metaswitch is the leading supplier of ATM signaling. DC-ATM provides
a complete ATM source code solution. The suite includes an entire range of fully fault-tolerant and fully distributable
portable ATM software, including UNI, PNNI, IPoA and ILMI.
For further details, please see
DC-ATM.
VPLS Services
VPLS Services provide private layer 2 VLAN across the MPLS core, suitable
for the provision of Ethernet service between multiple sites. DC-LDP fully supports the signaling required to control
VPLS and the underlying mesh of tunnels.
For further details, please see
VPLS Solutions.
VPWS Services
VPWS Services provide private layer 2 links across the MPLS core,
suitable for the provision of ATM, Frame Relay and Ethernet links between customer sites. DC-LDP fully supports the
signaling required to control VPWS and the underlying mesh of tunnels.
For further details, please see
VPWS Solutions.
Optical multiplexes and cross-connects access to and interconnection
between the next generation networks based on optical ring technology. They combine IP routing and MPLS with optical
extensions to control light paths across the network.
OIF UNI-C, UNI-N And NNI Solutions
Metaswitch provides a fully integrated optical control plane
encompassing DC-MPLS with UNI and NNI extensions, and DC-OSPF with DDRP extensions. Interaction between these
products is achieved using Metaswitch's Route Selection Manager (DC-RSM) and includes
- support for the RSVP flavor of the UNI signaling protocol
- extensions to the TE-MIB interface to support UNI connection
establishment.
A single instance of the DC-MPLS stack can provide UNI-C, UNI-N,
NNI, MPLS and GMPLS functionality simultaneously.
For further details see
Metaswitch's Optical Expertise.
Metaswitch is the leading supplier of ATM signaling. DC-ATM
provides a complete ATM source code solution. The suite includes an entire range of fully fault-tolerant and fully
distributable portable ATM software, including UNI, PNNI, IPoA and ILMI.
For further details, please see
DC-ATM.
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