Hammerhead Systems, Inc. announced the availability of a comprehensive suite of Ethernet features on the HSX 6000 Layer 2.5 Aggregation Platform enabling service providers to address key network requirements for IPTV and Business-Class Ethernet service offerings. The HSX 6000 is the only solution that provides the combination of industry leading density for Gigabit Ethernet aggregation, complete service interworking of Ethernet with legacy corporate data services, and granular QoS that ensures service guarantees for real-time and non real-time services ownership, at half the cost of alternative solutions.
Hammerhead's Layer 2.5 solution is a central office-based data platform supporting GFP (Generic Framing Protocol), and enabling an efficient way for service providers with large SONET/SDH networks to extend those networks to offer new business and residential services such as GPON and IPTV, accelerated by immediate savings from using existing infrastructure.
The Hammerhead Ethernet suite includes:
-- A 10-port Gigabit Ethernet module that provides aggregation of key elements of an IPTV network such as Ethernet-based IP-DSLAMs. The HSX 6000 allows service providers to provide Ethernet switching and aggregation with a total capacity of 960 Gigabit Ethernet ports within a telco rack.
-- Granular QoS providing efficient grooming of individual customer data flows and mapping to Layer 3 service attributes, scalable to over a million flows per system.
-- Seamless bandwidth expansion and link protection via the IEEE 802.3ad (Link Aggregation) standard, and support for IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN Tagging) and Q-in-Q (VLAN Stacking) to facilitate scalable Ethernet aggregation.
-- Support for Next Generation SONET/SDH networks using Ethernet-over- SONET with GFP, VCAT and X.86. The HSX 6000 is the only platform that supports GFP to X.86 interworking.
-- Availability of dynamic Pseudowires to enable a controlled migration of customer traffic from legacy networks to MPLS.
Hammerhead provides complete Ethernet interworking with legacy Frame Relay and ATM services and helps carriers seamlessly introduce Ethernet service to their existing customers. The HSX 6000 is the first platform to offer Ethernet-over-DS3 and Ethernet-over-SONET, supporting both GFP and X.86, virtual concatenation (VCAT), and interworking between GFP and X.86.
"The maturation of Ethernet-based technology for carrier infrastructure and services has translated to significant end customer demand. Hammerhead's ability to leverage existing SONET/SDH infrastructure is a key advantage in the profitable roll-out of Ethernet-based services," said Peter Savage, President and CEO of Hammerhead Systems. "Carriers are asking for a lower cost solution to address multi-service packet access, and we are pleased to announce availability of the industry's lowest cost solution for integrating Ethernet services."
Hammerhead has completed Ethernet-over-SONET interoperability testing with key SONET and MSPP infrastructure suppliers including strategic partner Fujitsu Network Communications (FNC), and application-level integration and testing efforts are underway. FNC is the leader for North American SONET and MSPP systems with 28% market share (according to RHK), and is currently deployed in over 50% of U.S. LATAs.
Hammerhead's HSX 6000 is in lab trials for Pseudowire, Ethernet and Layer 2.5 aggregation applications, and the Ethernet capabilities announced today are central elements to ongoing evaluations and application scenarios.
The HSX 6000 is the only purpose-built, single box solution available for Ethernet aggregation, packet- enabled access and Pseudowire termination. It has the industry's lowest Total Cost of Ownership for edge aggregation, in part as a result of its unique architectural advantages that optimize its aggregation and grooming efficiency, such as Bandwidth Pooling and Service Agile Ports. This, combined with the HSX 6000's best-in-class QoS architecture, enables unmatched levels of service segregation and SLA assurance, critical for robust aggregation of diverse data and packet voice services feeding a common IP/MPLS core.
Hammerhead's Layer 2.5 aggregation switch can deliver industry-leading aggregation economics, the most scalable and broadest support for service interworking, and non-disruptive data revenue migration.