Argon Networks Drives Down Service Provider
Infrastructure Costs, Enabling the Transfer of DWDM
Bandwidth Economics to Enterprise Customers
[Hiram, All,
WDM, and increasingly DWDM, are fast becoming realities in local, Metro markets.
Several of my clients are already riding their businesses over colors of the spectrum on their own proprietary nets. It's incalculable as to how many of them are riding over carrier-supplied colorized SONET pipes at this time.
This Press Release from Argon speaks to yet another twist in DWDM deployment.
Enjoy, Frank Coluccio]
September 30, 1998 - LITTLETON, Mass. Argon Announces Industry's First Family of Multi-service Channelized SONET Interfaces, Delivering Leading Breadth and Depth in Streamlining the New Public Network Infrastructure
Taking a visionary lead in the industry's drive to
architect the New Public Network, Gigabit Switch Router
pioneer Argon Networks today announced the first
family of Multi-service Channelized SONET interfaces.
Uniquely capable of simultaneously supporting IP and
ATM services, these new products radically streamline
the infrastructure between Wavelength Division
Multiplexing's (DWDM) economical bandwidth and the
enterprise user, paving the way for low-cost, high-speed
services.
Argon's new interfaces are designed for integration into
the GigaPacket Node (GPN) gigabit switch router. The
platform's simultaneous IP:ATM operation makes the
choice between packet or cell-based services an
end-customer, service-time configuration decision, not a
hardware-based, network-rollout time question.
Combined with the new Multi-service Channelized
SONET interfaces, Argon delivers a system solution
that eliminates the traffic-grooming Digital Cross
Connect Systems (DACS) equipment, which currently
burdens the cost of WAN services.
"This announcement reflects the evolution now
occurring as the New Public Network changes from a
circuit- to packet-centric infrastructure," said Frank
Dzubeck, president of Communications Network
Architects, Inc. " Packet-communication product
vendors have enhanced the long-distance transport
layer by developing gigabit routers and ATM switches
that directly connect to optical DWDM platforms,
creating a new high-bandwidth 'core-services layer'
where capacity is theoretically infinite and nearly free.
However, for enterprise customers to gain the benefit of
DWDM cost savings, service providers need to
consolidate platforms and interfaces to eliminate billions
of dollars spent annually on DACS grooming
equipment.
"Argon has 'seen the light' by coupling its IP:ATM
switching and software strengths with Channelized
SONET interfaces in a system solution that promises
service providers greatly reduced equipment and
operational costs. This type of solution is required to
bring DWDM's bandwidth-capacity advantage directly
to corporate users."
Breakthrough Capabilities Consolidate Infrastructure
and Reduce Costs
The only gigabit switch router that operates as both a
native IP router and an ATM cell switch, the GPN
IP:ATM platform allows on-the-fly software
configuration of any GPN interface as ATM cell switch
ports and/or IP Packet-over-SONET (PoS) router ports;
the same interface hardware supports both modes of
operation. Extending Argon's advanced multi-service
technology to Channelized SONET interfaces, the new
products allow simultaneous IP PoS and ATM cell
services, (including IP over ATM), inside SONET
sub-channels in a single channelized interface. This
delivers breakthrough capabilities to reduce
infrastructure costs, including:
-- Unique simultaneous IP:ATM operation allows
consolidation of
historically separate IP router and ATM switching
service platforms
into a single platform eliminating technology risk and
reducing
costs. -- Unique Multi-service Channelized SONET
interface technology greatly
reduces costly DACS grooming of IP and ATM traffic to
separate
service-specific interfaces, reducing the required number
of
interfaces.
Broadest Family of Multi-service Channelized Interfaces:
Argon's family of Multi-service Channelized SONET
interfaces ensures that service providers can build the
New Public Network leveraging the multiple generations
of SONET networks deployed in the access collector
networks. The products allow service providers to
directly connect their different generations of access
networks to the GPN without intervening DACS. New
interfaces include:
-- 1 port Channelized OC48 supporting IP:ATM
configuration across 48
DS3, 16 OC3c or 4 OC12c individual subchannels -- 1
port Channelized OC12 supporting IP:ATM
configuration across
12 DS3 or 4 OC3c individual subchannels -- 1 port
Channelized OC3 supporting IP:ATM configuration
across 3 DS3
individual subchannels
Each SONET interface card can also be software
configured for SONET "clear channel" operation as an
unchannelized link providing full line-rate throughput
for either ATM cell switching or IP PoS routing.
Reducing Costs through Broadening IP:ATM Service
Functionality
"Software-configurable IP PoS routing and ATM cell
switching is the key to the system," said Mike Grady,
president and CEO, Argon Networks. " This capability
enables Argon's system solution to extend the roles of
IP and ATM platforms from purely service protocol
functions to transport and grooming roles, thereby
eliminating capital and operations expense. Leveraging
Argon's IP:ATM system software, the Multi-service
Channelized SONET interfaces build a direct optical
connection between the SONET access networks and
the GPN. The interfaces directly support the
heterogeneous mixture of traffic collected in access
networks without DACS that are traditionally used to
groom traffic to separate ATM and IP service
platforms."
System Solution Delivers Non-Blocking,
Next-Generation Scalability
Argon's GPN IP:ATM platform scales from 20 Gbps to
160 Gbps in 20 Gbps increments. Capacity is fully
non-blocking without any performance penalty for
minimum-sized IP packet routing or ATM cell switching
operation. In 20 Gbps configurations, Argon's GPN
system supports up to 8 OC48, 32 OC12 or 128 OC3
Channelized interfaces. In 160 Gbps configurations, the
GPN supports up to 64 OC48, 256 OC12 or 1024 OC3
Channelized interfaces.
Availability and Pricing
The GPN platform begins beta testing in Q4 1998.
Channelized OC48 interfaces are US list priced at
$90,000; Channelized OC12 and OC3 pricing is
dependent on system configuration.
About the GigaPacket Node
The GPN IP:ATM gigabit switch router platform enables
service providers to meet the broadest spectrum of
enterprise demands by supporting private data, Internet,
telephony and new multi-media services on a common
IP:ATM infrastructure, where the choice between IP or
ATM services is an end-customer, service-time
configuration question, not a hardware-based,
network-rollout time decision. The 20-160 Gbps
non-blocking GPN platform features a broad suite of
channelized and non-channelized optical interfaces all
operating at line speed ranging from DS3 to OC48
capacities. Support for Frame Relay DTE as well as new
MPLS technology ensures compatibility with both
today's deployed access network infrastructure as well
as tomorrow's new technologies. Featuring a Switching
Shelf, Access Shelf and Control Shelf architecture, the
GPN also provides a unique distributed architecture that
delivers the required 99.999% availability required in the
New Public Infrastructure.
About Argon Networks
Argon Networks develops, markets and supports
sophisticated integrated routing and switching
platforms for today's core and tomorrow's high-speed
access layers of the New Public Network. The
company's products are engineered for 99.999% service
uptime, and tightly integrate with existing access and
transport networks. Founded by former Wellfleet
Communications (now Bay Networks) co-founder, Steve
Willis and Wellfleet senior engineering executive Mike
Grady (who also served as one of the founding members
of Stratus Computer), Argon's management brings
together the strong combination of networking and high
availability computing experience that is necessary to
address the critical needs of service providers around
the world.
CONTACT: Argon Networks, Inc. | Maureen Liberty |
978-486-0665 x184 | mliberty@argon.com | or | The Weber
Group | Alana Gentle/Dan Carter | 617/661-7900 |
agentle@webergroup.com | dcarter@webergroup.com
[Copyright 1998, Business Wire] |
