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DPI Equipment: 4 Ways it Can Help Service Providers, Plus Deployment Tips

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TMCnews Featured Article


June 02, 2010

DPI Equipment: 4 Ways it Can Help Service Providers, Plus Deployment Tips

By Marisa Torrieri, TMCnet Editor


Deep Packet inspection - a technology dubbed 'DPI for short' - is rooted in controlling peer-to-peer traffic. But as service providers look toward making money as networks grow, DPI is more often relied upon to help them understand the diverse, and sometimes fickle, nature of IP environments.

 
TMCnet sat down with Chandresh Ruparel, the senior product line manager at RadiSys (News - Alert), a provider of innovative hardware and software platforms for next generation IP-based wireless, wireline and video networks, to find out more.
 
The full exchange follows.
 
TMCnet: Can you please explain why the use of DPI technology is growing? What are some of the global economic or telecommunications/usage trends that have spurred its growth?


Chandresh Ruparel:
DPI equipment was initially deployed to control large volumes of peer-to-peer traffic. Nowadays, service providers are using DPI to understand network usage. It helps network providers to manage rapidly changing, diverse, open and vulnerable IP environments over scarce bandwidth. Service providers use DPI to monitor and understand network performance and user experience, creating opportunities revenue, as well as roll out advanced multi-media services to increment ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) to compensate for flat rate voice and data plans. As a result, the market for DPI technology and DPI-based applications is expected to grow substantially over the new few years.

TMCnet: Please give some details about deployment: What does a 'DPI' deployment entail? Are there certain pieces of equipment? Who does the deploying -- a service provider? Does it take a long time?

CR:
There is no 'one size fits all' for DPI implementation. DPI implementations can be integrated or external, but must be dynamic and evolving to reflect the nature of the services. DPI devices and technology should be easily and frequently upgradeable to address Internet applications and development, as well as anticipate growth in complexity and bandwidth. DPI functions can be embedded, co-resident or external and at multiple points along the packet flow.
Telecommunication Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs) can leverage ATCA and AMC architectures for DPI application software, taking advantage of commercial off-the-shelf software, platforms and blades to achieve DPI functions including lawful intercept, policy definition and enforcement, traffic management, quality of service, tiered services, security, protocol detection analysis, carrier usage analysis and copyright enforcement.
Integrated ATCA platforms are already proving their advantage in the carrier grade market, accelerating DPI time-to-market by 50 percent. Leveraging 'DPI application-ready' platforms allows service providers to develop solutions that meet the needs of next generation networks.

TMCnet: What are the main benefits of deployment?

CR:
There are four fundamental benefits of implementing DPI network platforms:
 
1. Maximizing service revenue
2. Help to identify and define new services
3. Maximize network capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenditure (OpEx)
4. Limit the risk of security threats to the network
DPI technology provides in-depth performance information that other systems cannot collect and analyze. This opens the doors to numerous applications constituting the framework of next-gen networks. For example, service providers can use programmable DPI functionality to offer a wide variety of value-added services on top of basic broadband access, contributing to increased subscriber ARPU.

TMCnet: Why are service providers so deeply concerned about prioritizing traffic, or building out the right amount of infrastructure at the right time?

CR:
It is important for service providers to minimize network capital and operating expenses as new services are rolled out without sacrificing customer satisfaction; this means that network utilization must be optimized to deliver fair network use based on customer, application, service provider and service dynamics. Broadband service providers have already invested heavily in new network infrastructure to meet growing network traffic volumes.
Service providers can use DPI monitoring capabilities to fully understand network usage, building the right amount of infrastructure at the right time to satisfying customer demands while prioritizing traffic to improve profitability. Providers can also use DPI solutions to monitor and bill for advanced value-added service usage that will contribute to increase subscriber ARPU.

TMCnet: What does RadiSys have to offer in this area?

CR:
RadiSys offers the broadest portfolio of ATCA products designed from the ground up to meet the demanding need of evolving networks and video services, with service delivery packaging that provides unparalleled scalability, responsiveness, modularity and flexibility to meet ever increasing mobile video usage. The ATCA products include switching, x86 based, packet processing and media processing boards with latest silicon technologies to deliver optimal configurations for DPI applications. RadiSys' ATCA application ready platform also includes integrated chassis, OS, diagnostics, system manager and high availability middleware. This platform can be configured for robust performance for both 10G and 40G technologies.
 

Marisa Torrieri is a TMCnet Web editor, covering IP hardware and mobility, including IP phones, smartphones, fixed-mobile convergence and satellite technology. She also compiles and regularly contributes to TMCnet's gadgets and satellite e-Newsletters. To read more of Marisa's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Marisa Torrieri







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