Ariel Networking Solutions has announced it will be offering RAD`s ACE-101, a dedicated solution for carriers seeking end-to-end control and monitoring of their public ATM networks. To achieve this today, carriers are faced with the choice of deploying complex ATM edge switches at the customer premises or relying on the customer`s ATM LAN or workgroup switch, in which case they forfeit vital traffic assurance and control capabilities. Mike Fisher, product manager at ANS explains how it works: "The ACE-101 ATM Network Termination Unit is provisioned at the interface between the customer`s private ATM network and the carrier`s public ATM service. The ACE-101 supports 256 VC/VPs and protects the public network from non-conformant or unauthorised user traffic by dropping or tagging user data that violates the traffic contract with the service provider. Engineered for ease of use, the ACE-101 enables end-to-end measurement of service parameters such as connectivity, delay, error rate, and cell loss rate, which define the network`s and the user`s Quality of Service commitment. It also supports performance management, checking if all the conformant data transmitted to the network has reached its destination," says Fisher. In addition to monitoring and policing, the ACE-101 acts as a rate and interface converter, supporting a wide variety of fibre, coax and copper interfaces and data rates up to 155 Mbps. Management is in-band over ATM. Public and private MIBs are also supported, providing management at the physical and ATM (VP/VC) levels. Fisher says the ACE-101 greatly complements ATM edge concentrators and switches for the central office and backbone. "It is really the missing link in the expansion of ATM services to the customer premises. It has been chosen by a number of carriers in the US and Europe, including AT&T and BT and is undergoing testing with dozens of carriers worldwide."
Share
Editorial contacts