Tellabs announced a series of enhancements that positions its Tellabs 8800 multi-service routers (MSRs) to support the following MPLS-based applications on a single platform: Ethernet, IP VPNs, virtual private LAN services (VPLS) and Layer 2 VPNs with interworking. Tellabs said the new feature set has completed lab trials with several major service providers .
The new hardware and software enhancements to the Tellabs 8800 series of intelligent multi-service routers include:
- IP/MPLS VPNs based on the IETF's RFC 2547bis specification.
- Frame Relay link management and support for DS-1 and fractional DS-0 circuits, which enable service providers to create highly-demanded, IP-enabled Frame Relay VPNs that complement their existing Frame Relay service offerings.
- Address Resolution Protocol mediation for IP interworking of Layer 2 VPNs that offers service providers additional service flexibility. This enhancement also improves the platform's presently-supported any-to-any service and bridged interworking capabilities for Frame Relay, ATM and Ethernet, and is based on the IETF's shah-draft.
- IP Connection Admission Control, which enables service providers to turn traditional best-effort IP services into more profitable IP services using Tellabs' hardware-based QoS
- VPLS, which offers multi-point to multi-point WAN extensions of Ethernet networks. This enhancement has support for granular bandwidth management across the MPLS network, conforms to the Metro Ethernet Forum's standards and adds additional scale to the IETF's Virtual Leased Line draft Martini standard.
- Support for Ethernet frames over DS-3 encapsulation using the Ethernet-over-SONET standard (ITU-T x.86).
- Flexible, plugable Gigabit Ethernet interface modules, giving service providers the ability to choose between short-reach or long-reach optics on an interface by interface basis within a given line card.
- Support for stringent security access to by encrypting critical configuration files including passwords. This enhancement is based on the IETF's secure shell v1/v2 standard.
- Extensive network management data collection that gathers historical statistics across the network to enable service providers to analyze network performance, perform traffic modeling and plan capacity.
- Hardware interfaces that are being introduced in feature package 3.1 for the Tellabs 8800 platform include: a 6 port Channelized DS-3 (3/1/0) Physical Line Module (PLM); a 6 Port DS-3/EC-3 Clear Channel PLM; an OC-48c/STM-16c Long Reach-1 PLM; and an OC-48/STM-16 Long Reach-1 PLM
