Aricent Intelligent Switch Software (ISS) is a
comprehensive, feature-rich software product for developing a wide range of
Ethernet switching applications – from entry level, fixed-port fast Ethernet
switches to module-based Gigabit stackable switches and Metro Ethernet-based
carrier-class systems. A well-tested and production-ready software product,
ISS has rapidly become a standard component of the next generation of
switching and routing solutions being developed by communications equipment
manufacturers.
With a comprehensive set of Layer 2/3, multicast, QoS,
and management features, the ISS is well suited for a range of applications:
- Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet switches
- IPDSLAMs: for aggregating traffic on an Ethernet
backplane and uplink to the network backbone
- VDSL-based Multi-Tenant Units (MTUs): for
aggregating traffic from VDSL links onto the Ethernet uplink
- Wireless LAN switches (Ethernet switches with
access point management capabilities)
- Metro Ethernet devices (line card-based switching
and routing capabilities)
- Blade servers: for traffic aggregation
- IP-TV
- Ethernet-based VPN service provider applications
- Wireless gateways/routers
- Optical switches
The Aricent ISS is available in three distinct versions
with different combination of suites. The three different versions of ISS
are:
- The Workgroup version, for simple Layer 2 managed
switches
- The Enterprise version,
for applications that need Ethernet switching and IP routing
(IPv4 and IPv6)
- The Metro version, for metro Ethernet and carrier
Ethernet deployments
ISS product suites include:
This suite consists of Layer 2+ protocols for
developing the next generation of managed switching products. It includes
support for VLAN, GVRP/GMRP, RSTP/MSTP, IGMP snooping, MLD snooping, Link
Aggregation (LA), Ethernet priority provisioning (802.1p), Port -Based
Authentication with EAP (802.1x), Power Over Ethernet (POE), Rate Control
per port, Broadcast Storm control, and Port Mirroring.
This suite provides redundancy support for the Layer 2
Protocol stacks (including Layer 2 Multiple instances) used to provide high
availability solutions in a carrier-grade network. Aricent is the first to
introduce this proprietary hot standby L2 control plane.
This suite allows equipment vendors to easily deploy
revenue-enabling services and includes 802.1p, DiffServ and configurable
Access Control Lists.
This suite supports development of MPLS Layer2 VPN
devices. Protocols and features include MPLS Label Stack Encoding, MPLS
Label distribution by LDP, RSVP Extensions, Pseudo Wire support using LDP,
and Pseudo Wire Encapsulation methods for Ethernet transport over MPLS.
This suite provides excellent multicast routing
features including IGMP router (v1, v2 and v3), PIM-SM, PIM-DM, and DVMRP.
This suite assists in development of IPv6-based
equipment. Protocols and features include static routing, RIPv6, OSPFv3, and
route redistribution.
This suite uses a full-featured IP stack for
development of multicast-enabled IPv6-based devices. Protocols and features
include PIM-SMv6 and the Multicast Listener Discovery-v1.
This suite incorporates advanced features for
architecting advanced Ethernet-based services, including unique
carrier-class support for multiple instances of VLAN, RSTP, MSTP, IGS and
MLDS for VPN services, Ethernet OAM (802.3ah), Provider Bridging (802.1ad),
802.1Q tunneling (VLAN stacking or Q-in-Q), 802.1ag (ECFM) and others.
This suite enables building of routers and other Layer
3 enabled devices. Its protocols and features include static routing, inter
VLAN routing, route redistribution, RIP v1/v2, OSPFv2 , BGPv4 and others.
Extremely feature-rich and configurable, this suite
provides a standard CLI with a context-sensitive Help, Multi-session telnet
server and multiple levels of user privileges. It also includes a
configurable Web user interface (with an embedded HTTP server, HTTP). It
supports SNMP v1, v2c, v3 and all other applicable MIBs.
This suite allows the solution to be scaled across
various types of systems, from pizza-box to chassis-based. Within a chassis
system, various line-modules/line-cards can be inter-connected to form a
single system.
This portable software implementation provides
fault-tolerance for software and firmware components in the system. The
Redundancy Manager supports Hot Standby.
Aricent IMS leverages our global expertise in
co-creating communications infrastructure products for world-leading
manufacturers. Key benefits include:
With its modular and extensible architecture, the ISS
offers developers the flexibility to add, remove, and modify features. Its
portable design, along with a hardware abstraction layer that provides
well-defined interfaces, allows its rapid integration with a variety of
Operating Systems (OS), CPUs, and merchant silicon chipsets. ISS also
includes porting libraries for popular RTOSs such as VxWorks and Embedded
Linux.
IMS offers easy management and configuration through
its extensive and customizable Web-based GUI and CLI. It can also be managed
through the SNMP-based manager. Secure access is enabled using secure HTTP
or a Secure Shell.
The ISS is available and optimized for performance on
multiple reference designs carrying the industry’s leading switch chipsets,
Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOSs), and CPUs.
The ISS solution significantly enhances the ROI by
dramatically reducing the time and cost of the product development cycle. It
facilitates a major part of product feature development, testing,
integration, interoperability testing, and solution certification
procedures.
Aricent offers a range of feature-rich and
cost-effective OEM-ready solutions complete with hardware reference designs,
enabling OEMs to considerably reduce time-to-market. These offerings combine
fully-integrated protocol software and configuration and management
libraries, are referenced on popular target platforms, and are tested for
interoperability, reliability, stability, and optimal performance.
The Aricent ISS is one of the most mature, field-proven
solutions in the industry, having met the advanced routing and management
requirements of several global equipment manufacturers. It undergoes a
comprehensive quality assurance validation that includes protocol component
validation, system validation, and stress & scalability tests.
The ISS is completely integrated to support 802.1Q and
802.1p, IGMP snooping, GMRP and configurable ACLs. This allows different
types of data to be sent over different VLANs. With silicon support, the
solution allows device makers to support triple play voice, video and data
networks.
The Aricent ISS allows development of next-generation
Metro Ethernet devices as it pre- integrates Metro Ethernet network
requirements such as Enhanced Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
(OAM); reliability, security, and scalability.
Aricent is committed to ensuring interoperability and
product adherence to evolving international standards. Modifications and
enhancements are continuously made to its product roadmap based on market
and client requirements.
Compliance with the very latest international standards
has been ensured for all the mentioned features.
The ISS has been ported and tested on the following
platforms:
- RTOSs: MontaVista, HardHat, Linux, and VxWorks
- Switching Silicon Support: Broadcom StrataXGS® and
StrataSwitch®, Marvell® Prestera\Cheetah 2™, Agere
- APPxx, SwitchCore Xpeedium™
- CPUs: MPC and MIPS