Canoga Perkins introduces a carrier class fiber-optic Ethernet demarcation device for delivering enhanced Ethernet services
March 8, 2004 Chatsworth, CA--Canoga Perkins, a supplier of carrier class fiber-optic extension equipment and CWDM/DWDM transport solutions, today announced the N525 Ethernet Termination Service Unit (ETSU). The N525 ETSU was developed for the telecommunications service provider and cable multiple system operator (MSO) market as an access device that provides a clear and manageable demarcation point between the service provider's central office and customer premise equipment (CPE).
The N525 enables the hand-off of services and media conversation between a service provider's network using singlemode fiber-optic cable and the customer's network using unshielded twisted pair copper cable and fiber interfaces. The N525 is typically deployed at the customer premise as CPE gear but it is equally at home in the central office having been NEBS Level 3 tested and certified.
The N525 ETSU permits Ethernet traffic to be used over fiber-optic cable to greatly extend its distance and enhance its security. The N525 creates a demarcation point between the service provider offering enhanced Ethernet services, such as transparent LAN service (TLS), and the enterprise CPE location receiving the service. The ability to offer enhanced Ethernet services is gaining a great deal of popularity with service providers and is being demanded by users. However, no Ethernet specific demarcation point has existed until now, creating the potential for support issues when connecting between the enterprise or campus CPE and the service provider's central office. The N525 ETSU fills this void in a cost-effective fashion.
Jack Buhn, Canoga Perkins president and chief executive, stated, "Service providers are one of our largest markets and we are quite familiar with the challenges they face and the strategic direction they are heading toward. This working knowledge allowed us to develop a unique demarcation device to make enhanced Ethernet service delivery more manageable and more cost-effective for service providers. In addition, it gives service providers the ability to view and manage the remote end connections at their customer site. This can save many costly truck rolls and improve the quality of service."
The N525 ETSU is a carrier class Ethernet IEEE 802.3, Fast Ethernet IEEE 802.3 and Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.3z compliant device that supports native 10 Mbits/sec, 100 Mbits/sec and Gigabit Ethernet TLS LAN extension circuits. In addition, the N525 is CWDM wavelength ready and offers a single fiber BIDI interface option. The N525 offers a choice of popular user interfaces that are field installable and provides hot swap capability to support today's demanding service level agreements. Advanced features such as Ethernet jumbo packet support are built-in to meet emerging standards.
The primary application of the N525 is to be an intelligent fiber-optic demarcation device terminating TLS LAN extension circuits up to 100 km away. It is deployed at the customer premise or local central office to provide a managed demarcation point between the service provider's network and the customer's network. The N525 delivers enhanced Ethernet services at the customer premises while giving the service provider local and remote SNMPv3 management access or sideband management access, which uses none of the data payload, RMON monitoring capability and a unique remote end advanced AC power failure detection and notification alarm. All these features facilitate circuit end-to-end aware management. The N525 can operate under Canoga Perkins' web browser based CanogaView Smart Element Manager and high-level network management packages such as HP OpenView and SunNet Manager.
The N525 comes standard with VLAN stacking, tagging and translation, which provides security and intrusion protection to the service provider's network by forming an isolated barrier between user data and management traffic. Additional security is provided by SSH, Secure Telnet, SFTP Secure File Transfer, Radius Client Server and 3 level password protection.
The N525 was designed to be interoperable with other IEEE compliant devices, is aligned with portions of the IEEE Ethernet in the First Mile Task Force 802.3ah draft and was designed to be used with Canoga Perkins L351, L357, L312, L322 and L332 media converters.