TEL AVIV -- RAD Data Communications will be showing at CeBIT 2004 in Hanover, Germany a unique set of Ethernet access solutions for service provisioning and carrier backhaul applications over low and high-speed SDH/SONET and PDH circuits. New products on display include Gigabit Ethernet over SDH/SONET and PDH converters, an Ethernet inverse multiplexer and an Ethernet-over-SDH/SONET customer located equipment (CLE) termination unit, which supports advanced bandwidth management functionality such as virtual concatenation, link capacity adjustment scheme (LCAS) and generic framing protocol (GFP).
"With the addition of our Gigabit Ethernet converters and the Ethernet over SDH/SONET termination unit, RAD now boasts a wall-to-wall product suite of Ethernet-over-SDH/SONET and PDH infrastructure devices," states Amir Karo, Director of Product Management at RAD Data Communications. "These devices offer both service providers and end users the ability to transport Ethernet services over any data rate from fractional E1/T1 to full E1/T1, up to n x E1/T1 and STM-1," he continues. "The benefit is that the industry now has a single source supplier for a range of carrier and campus applications."
New Converters at CeBIT: Gigabit Ethernet over SDH/SONET
At CeBIT, RAD will be displaying two new high speed Ethernet converters. The RIC-155 GE is a cost-competitive Gigabit Ethernet-over-STM-1 gateway, designed to efficiently deliver GbE traffic over SDH and PDH networks. The second converter, the RIC-155A, features two Fast Ethernet ports to dynamically convert two different flows of Fast Ethernet traffic over an STM-1 link. Both devices are designed to better utilize the SDH interface's full payload. This is an especially attractive alternative for ISPs and carrier backhaul applications, or for carriers seeking new ways to provide high bandwidth Ethernet services to customers. The RIC-155 GE will also support Jumbo Frames of up to 9,000 bytes for higher network efficiency of large file transfers and video streams.
Ethernet over Low-Speed Networks
"Much of the access to SDH/SONET networks is over lower speed PDH tributaries," explains Karo. "Few vendors offer carrier-class solutions for transporting Ethernet over fractional E1, E1/T1 or n x E1/T1," Karo notes. "RAD's introduction of its new RICi-E1/T1 and RICi-E3/T3 Ethernet-to-PDH managed converters, therefore, is an important milestone, because it will allow E1/T1 and E3/T3 lines with PDH interfaces to be fully utilized in transporting enterprise LAN traffic, alternative carrier services and cellular base station backhauling."
The state-of-the-art solution for transporting Ethernet services or connecting enterprise LANs at different locations over different rates PDH links usually requires the deployment of expensive WAN routers. Apart from the high capital expenses, however, this solution also obligates ongoing operating expenses for provisioning and upkeep. In contrast, RAD's new RICi devices are low cost and simple to install. Because they transport traffic transparently, irrespective of protocol, no changes in LAN configuration are required. This simplifies network planning and allows the different LANs connected to the network to function as if they are part of one, large single LAN. In addition, SNMP management support allows simple maintenance and monitoring of the entire network.
New Devices Bridge the Gap Between E1/T1 and E3/T3
Also to be introduced at CeBIT is RAD's IMXi-4 intelligent inverse multiplexer. The device transports LAN or high speed data traffic across multiple, low cost TDM E1/T1 or SHDSL lines. By splitting traffic onto four E1/T1 or SHDSL links, the product enables transparent LAN services (TLS) or any other high speed data stream to be transmitted over wide area networks. The IMXi-4 transfers Ethernet packets transparently, enabling service providers to use their next generation equipment in a TDM environment. Wireless providers, moreover, can plug their IP-based equipment into the device's Ethernet interface to connect to the Ethernet-based central site over the TDM network.
Optimizing Ethernet Traffic Over SDH/SONET Infrastructure
"Enabling customers to connect their LANs over SDH/SONET networks so that they utilize and pay only for the bandwidth they require is a major challenge for service providers," says Karo. This is due to the fact that SDH/SONET networks are optimized for digital voice, not for data. It is a particularly acute problem when there is a need for existing SDH/SONET networks to transport LAN traffic at various transport rates that are not inherent to SDH/SONET. "By provisioning additional bandwidth upon request, at a low granularity of 2 or 1.5 Mbps, SDH/SONET operators are able to offer customers Next Generation services over their existing networks, without any need for forklift upgrades," Karo adds. "Utilizing new virtual concatenation technology at the low granularity of VC-12 (2 Mbps) or VT1.5 (1.5 Mbps) allows multiplexing Ethernet streams in such a way that the SDH/SONET pipeline is optimized for Ethernet traffic."
RAD Data Communications Ltd.