The core of business support for edge routers

Edge router positioning is the user from the LAN to the WAN, in the LAN and WAN technology is still very different today, the edge routers shoulder a variety of tasks, simply to meet the needs of users of a variety of business, from simple network to complex multimedia business and VPN business. This requires the edge of the router in hardware and software must have a perfect implementation. The equipment providers have therefore launched a fierce competition, derived from a variety of fresh technical means. At the same time, this area has provided opportunities for many later, and many options have enabled them to come from behind and challenge established router manufacturers such as Cisco, Juniper and Unisphere. Edge routers have created a miracle in the marketplace, which has created incredible success in last year's harsh telecoms market environment. It is predicted that the market share of edge routers will reach 60% in 2004 years, exceeding the core routers. The reason for this is that the role of the edge router is so important: it is the most thoughtful part of the business provider, because it involves business delivery and user satisfaction.

Multiple technologies at the edge of fusion

When evaluating an edge router, you should at least check the following technical parameters:

Performance: Network processors are the primary determinant of performance. Generally speaking, the common network processor can only complete the preset programming ability, far cannot satisfy the fast changing network technology development demand, therefore has the strength the factory basically is develops own ASIC chip, these ASIC chip to process the business flow with the line speed, and can deal with many kinds of protocols, such as PPP, Frame Relay, ATM and so on, the data of a variety of protocols to the IP protocol, from this point of view, the edge of the router will assume the future full IP network responsibility.

Port density and scalability: the operator prefers a machine with a high port density, which leaves him with a rich expansion space. Expansion is mainly through stacking to achieve, good extension of the system integrator to break through the limitations of the single box, capacity can be smooth expansion on demand.

Reliability: This includes network reliability and device reliability. Network reliability depends on the physical network supported by routers, and the network has the reliability of telecommunication class for sdh/sonet and other traditional technologies. For long-distance Ethernet, there are some new technologies, such as optical Ethernet and 802.17 RPR (resilient Packet ring), But because RPR has not yet formed the final standard, so juniper some manufacturers still hold a wait-and-see attitude. However, with the rapid development of metropolitan Area Network, RPR should be a necessary feature of edge routers. Equipment reliability depends on the level of software and hardware implementation, which requires the implementation to determine the optimal architecture, and in the development of perfusion effort.

Mpls:mpls is a two-layer and three-layer fusion technology, which is equivalent to IP network signaling, can provide fine-grained control of business flows and high level of bandwidth management. While MPLS lacks full physical support at the moment, it is moving toward eventual standardization. MPLS is also mainly used in core network to realize the task of traffic engineering. Device manufacturers typically implement MPLS in the edge routers they develop, but business providers are not determined to use MPLS on a large scale, and are evaluating their viability.

Business Classification and quality: Business classification qualitative, and business quality quantitative, this is the user more and more concern part. Because the underlying physical network on the business classification and bandwidth management support is uneven, at present, the basic companies have their own proprietary technology. With the development of MPLS technology, the edge router will eventually achieve the service classification and quality to support the telecom level.

Operational support: Edge routers are the core device of a business provider that supports operators ' operational requirements, including management, billing, authentication, encryption, and so on. Usually routers need to provide operational support system (Operation Support Systems) interface, and comply with relevant standards, such as Telcordia company proposed Osmine certification procedures. But the manufacturers to meet what standard is also different attitude, such as Cisco to Osmine, the reason is Osmine certification time is up to 18 months. Different operators will have standards that suit countries.

For users ' insatiable demand for business and bandwidth, edge routers will achieve more technology and have more technical content. At the same time to ensure high-speed connection, but also a variety of data processing work, which requires chip manufacturers to provide advanced network processor chip and transceiver chip to ensure line speed level. Edge routers also need to be smart enough to for example, when the control level software failure and restart, the impact of this action on the load stream should be as small as possible, which requires the control level to retain some state, so that the data level of the function is not affected by the restart, which for the future operation of the full IP network is of great significance. It can be said that the edge router is a technology starter and touchstone.

Demand is a barometer

Technology continues to progress, the demand is constantly updated, edge routers have to non-stop to adapt to the new application environment, and often ahead of standard formulation. Who caters to the market, who is the biggest winner. From the view of high level protocol, IP network is the direction, the edge device should fully meet the requirements of many kinds of services for IP network hosting, such as security, mobility and QoS. From the transport layer, the cost-effective "optical Ethernet +RPR" is the direction, this and future full IP network parallel. Therefore, the future edge routers to achieve at least IPSec, MPLS, mobile IP and other major functions, and provide the physical layer of RPR network interface. And in the short run, the metropolitan Area network construction is a hot spot, because this will directly satisfy the city user to the bandwidth urgent demand, this and the operator reduces the infrastructure investment at present stage to form the contradiction, this contradictory solution lies in whether the edge router can provide the bottom hardware and software support means, enables the operator to carry on the new, To attract the user's business so that it does not have to expand the network on a large scale.

The future of IP network will bear the current many parallel network hosting business, Edge routers are the entry and exit of these business data, its effectiveness directly affects the entire network operating level. It is because of the irreplaceable status of edge routers, as well as the rapid replacement with the demand, many manufacturers have targeted the market, such as Nokia and Motorola, they last July through the acquisition of the stage, the other new companies and Redback and Riverstone. In this user-sensitive field, developers need to constantly innovate, only firmly grasp the needs of the market and technology development direction, in order to survive on the edge of the network forever.