[April 2, 2001]

RiverDelta Networks Intros Distributed Policy-Based Routing With MPLS Per-Flow Control For Scalable Open Access

RiverDelta Networks, Inc., a provider of carrier-class broadband routing, switching, and service management solutions, announced hardware-based Distributed Policy-Based Routing that scales to support multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs) delivering thousands of services over a broadband network. RiverDelta Networks also announced Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Per-Flow Control, enabling broadband operators to implement end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) across the access network and across the backbones of multiple service providers.

RiverDelta Networks has implemented policy-based routing in hardware, with distributed packet processing to support large numbers of subscribers across multiple service providers. Until now policy-based routing implementations have been software-based and centralized, enabling operators to trial multiple ISP access but not to scale the system for actual deployment. By placing Broadband Services Router 64000 (BSR 64000) with policy-based routing at the edge of the network, operators eliminate the bottleneck that forms at the regional headend and increase service delivery rates.

MPLS Per-flow control is implemented at wire speed on the award-winning BSR 64000 using distributed, policy-based routing. For the first time, broadband operators will be able to monitor and control individual traffic flows for multiple services from multiple service providers across both access and core networks. RiverDelta Networks has combined support for industry-standard MPLS with its SmartFlow QoS Technology to deliver MPLS per-flow control, from the edge of the Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) access network across any service providers' core network.

"Policy-based routing combined with MPLS enables broadband operators to offer subscribers a wide variety of services from a vast array of providers and makes Open Access an extremely rewarding proposition. All these services and providers can have different quality of services requirements and the operator now has a way to easily manage all of them," said Dave Callan, President and CEO of RiverDelta Networks. "Operators can bring in wholesale revenues from third-party service providers, scale their networks as services become popular, and increase customer satisfaction with an ever-growing number of services and significantly better delivery."

MPLS per-flow control and distributed, policy-based routing enable content-aware routing and eliminate the need for tunneling traffic flows from the access network to the core. Tunneling has caused serious limitations for broadband operators such as:

• Hiding the content of the flow so HFC networks cannot use DOCSIS 1.1 QoS and prioritize traffic types;
• Significant "bandwidth tax" because tunneling requires additional headers on top of the DOCSIS protocol;
• Content for high-bandwidth services cannot be located close to users because tunneling requires subscriber management systems be located deep inside the network;
• "Always-on" connections are not possible because for a user to access a service a tunnel must be established.

With MPLS per-flow control, bandwidth is dynamically allocated to individual traffic flows based on a pre-determined level of service. Using its unique per-flow queuing, the BSR 64000 assigns each traffic flow its own queue and provides a guaranteed minimum rate to ensure it meets its Service Level Agreement (SLA) commitments. For the first time, broadband operators can track individual traffic flows and isolate the traffic of individual providers, subscribers, and applications across their own or any service provider's core network to ensure that they are within their SLA requirements.

RiverDelta's SmartFlow packet-classification system, implements hierarchical per-flow queuing, which enables the BSR 64000 to apply QoS parameters, isolate traffic, enforce SLAs and provide detailed metering statistics. The BSR 64000 implements it's QoS processing in hardware so QoS policies are applied to individual flows at wire speed to significantly reduce latency. This ability allows cable operators to automatically recognize source traffic, match the traffic to the appropriate provider, supply distributed, policy-based routing and apply QoS treatments in real time.

The BSR 64000 supports carrier-class routing protocols as well as sourced-based distributed policy routing and MPLS, which provides scalability as operators add new services, subscribers and partners to their network. Based on DOCSIS 1.0, DOCSIS 1.1 and PacketCable 1.0 standards, the BSR 64000 features an integrated Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS).

The BSR 64000 with distributed policy-based routing and MPLS per-flow control is currently undergoing full-system testing at George Mason University laboratories and interoperability testing at the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Lab.

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