re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyBriggs says :
"We need it to have very similar features to the old TDM network. As much as we malign it, the TDM network is still pretty good in terms of automatic failover -- to be able to put a software load in, and have it fail to the hot standby, without any customer impact." *************************************************
Anyone keeping track of the cost implications after we are done supporting all those "features of the old TDM network"? Hitless software upgrade, Ethernet OAM, 50ms restoration and so on.....
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyPH, you must be kidding about Alcatel too. Everyone else knows they don't have a core router and no plan/capability to build one.
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyCisco promised this stuff with CRS-1 and likely will be in good position. Juniper has incumbency at both MCI and Verizon which gives them better position. Avici actually has the technology today but very tough to see Verizon embrace them.
MCI/Briggs has been working this RFP for 5 years and with Verizon will probably be 5 more before make a decision.
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyRoshani,
"Anyone keeping track of the cost implications after we are done supporting all those "features of the old TDM network"? Hitless software upgrade, Ethernet OAM, 50ms restoration and so on....."
What carriers like Verizon do is keep track of the cost of not meeting their SLAs with their end customer, how likely their customer is to move away from Verizon if the SLAs are not met, etc. If redundancy costs an extra 60+% on a core router I am sure they will do the ROI math and risk analysis to figure out if it makes sense to them.
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyAnyone got seat time with a BXR 48000? I know that the ASX/TNX hitless software upgrade worked, but I never got to dork with the BXR.
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyAm I wrong that the Internet was designed to withstand a nuclear blast? Why can VZ not architect a network that can route around failures? Perhaps VZ is just trying to re-crate the centralized TDM network with IP routers.
re: Verizon Biz Searches for Core CompetencyComrades,
At one time I would have said the BXR could have wiped the floor with the T-series or the CRS-1. Let's face it, the BXR "concept" was there before the Juniper and Cisco designs. And in many way I think the BXR architecture is probably superior - at least on paper. This is a switch that was designed to be part of a "Network of Steel".
The problem is that BXR has been starved of development funding for the best part of five years. It's not clear to me exactly how much Marconi has managed to deliver of the original vision. Even back in 1999 BXR was an incredibly ambitious project.
That year, when GEC acquired FORE Systems to creat Marconi, most of the IP experts in Pittsburgh and Washington departed to other startups because their stock options were cashed out completely.
Marconi tried to plug the gaps, but inevitably with less experienced talent. For a project as ambitious as BXR that inevitably caused problems.
In 2000 Marconi realised it was broke, and began cutting funding on everything it could. Nothing has changed since then, except I guess Ericsson has picked up the remnants.
My experience of hardware development (which is vicarious I might add) tells me that right about now, Ericsson will be finding a whole bunch of critical BXR components are nearing their end of life, becaise there would not have been enough funding to finish the original design, and to keep pace with technology evolution.
Just my 2 cents, and apologies if I'm painting a negative picture, but I'd be delighted to hear about BXR success stories.
Running on fumes.