FEBRUARY 12, 2007 -- VPIsystems (search for VPIsystems) has announced the availability of OnePlan IP/MPLS 3.0, which enables carriers to streamline the planning and management of IP and MPLS networks. The company also announced a customer for the new capabilities.
The new addition to the OnePlan network planning software system enables carriers to deliver tiered services more effectively and at higher levels of customer satisfaction. The OnePlan software enables carriers to design resilient MPLS networks for real-time and bandwidth-hungry services such as VoIP and video, as well as "best effort" IP networks for services such as e-mail and Internet.
For communications service providers, next-generation IP networks promise many benefits, including cost reduction and greater service availability. One of the challenges providers encounter with IP networks, however, is that they are egalitarian by nature and treat all of the services they carry the same. This is a challenge for providers because next-generation services like voice (VoIP) and video are more sensitive to delays than traditional data services and need to be prioritized. To address this issue, carriers are adding technologies like Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) to their networks to prioritize network traffic and ensure high quality service levels for delay-sensitive and higher value services.
"Cost savings are only the beginning of the benefits carriers gain once they've migrated to an IP network," stated Hank Firey, CEO, VPIsystems. "The ability to tier services and guarantee availability and quality of service for high-value services liberates carriers from the downward spiral of bandwidth commoditization."
As part of the OnePlan network planning software system, OnePlan IP/MPLS 3.0 offers a comprehensive range of design models, functions, and features that utilize engineering, marketing, and business systems to enable rapid and effective planning and design of IP and MPLS networks, says VPIsystems. The new features enable carriers to offer high quality of service at lower cost, while ensuring high availability and more rapid disaster recovery. Key new features include:
- Constrained Shortest Path Fast (CSPF) routing and optimization enables customer-centric service delivery based on specified service characteristics.
- 1:1 path protection provides pre-planned traffic rerouting when primary network paths fail. In the event of a primary path's failure, network traffic can be rerouted in milliseconds and customer experience is not noticeably affected.
- Failure analysis and disaster planning capabilities enable carriers to explore the impact of traffic anomalies and develop effective contingency plans.
- Link underbooking and overbooking enables network links to be appropriately provisioned to ensure their capacity is responsive to their planned loads and service quality isn't negatively affected.
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