Transcript
Technical
The Total Control® 1000 Multiservice Access Platform
An Enhanced Data System Designed for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Changes
Paper
The Total Control® 1000 Multiservice Access Platform An Enhanced Data System Designed for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Changes Contents Market Overview
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The Solution: Total Control 1000 Multiservice Access Platform
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CommWorks Multiservice Architecture
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Total Control 1000 System Evolution
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Total Control 1000 Platform: Built to Grow
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Modular System
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Bus Architecture
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Total Control 1000 Access System
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Total Control 1000 DSP Cards
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Total Control 1000 Access Router Card
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Total Control 1000 Network Management Solutions
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Total Control 1000 Network Management Card
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3Com CommWorks 5000 Network Management System
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CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager
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Steel Belted Radius/Service Provider Edition
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Applications
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Internet Access—Enhanced Data Services
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Corporate/Private Remote Access for Business
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Virtual Private Networking
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Signaling System 7 Integration
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IP Telephony
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Wireless
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Cable
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Transaction Processing
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Continued Enhancements to Lead the Industry
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Conclusion
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The Total Control® 1000 Multiservice Access Platform An Enhanced Data System Designed for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Changes
Acronyms and Abbreviations API application programming interface
Rapid growth of Internet access and corporate networking is fueling demand for new highbandwidth, multimedia applications, and faster, more economical telecommunications systems. Service providers see this new environment as an opportunity for growth and are rushing to take advantage. In some cases, they are finding that they must embrace these new offerings just to remain competitive. To take advantage of new revenue opportunities and to respond to continuing technology and market change, service providers need an access platform that can support high-volume, value-added services. With its scalable design, proven architecture, and past and present market leadership, the 3Com Total Control® 1000 multiservice access platform provides a powerful, forward-looking access solution to meet service providers’ current and future needs. This paper examines the market environment that is giving rise to the need for powerful, high-density platforms designed to support a wide array of new applications and services. It provides a complete overview of the Total Control 1000 platform architecture, including bus and components. The paper also defines the 3Com CommWorks multiservice network and service management architecture, and details the wide range of applications that the platform supports, including Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, wired and wireless access, virtual private networks (VPNs), broadband access, dialup, and Signaling System 7 (SS7) integration.
ARC access router card ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode BIOS Basic Input/Output System CDMA Code Division Multiple Access CMTS Cable Modem Termination System CODEC coder-decoder CSU/DSU channel service unit/data service unit DNIS Dialed Number Identification Service DOCSIS Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specification DSL Digital Subscriber Line FoIP Fax-over-IP IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Market Overview
As home office users, consumers, and businesses have become ever more reliant upon the Internet and corporate networking, service providers face unprecedented challenges. On one hand, the rise in the Internet and corporate networking has opened the way for enormous new growth and revenue potential. On the other, these new opportunities have given
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
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rise to treacherous demands, such as fierce competition, price pressures, the need to rapidly deploy new technology, and the demand for broader selections of bundled services. The remote access industry has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 10 years. Gone are the days of basic, bare-bones remote access service. Today, mainstream residential and business customers enjoy remote access everywhere, from home and the road. E-mail has become nearly as essential as the telephone. End users are flocking to the World Wide Web for online gaming, entertainment, research, and e-commerce. And service providers are offering an array of exciting new services such as broadband and wireless access. Forecasters expect the expansion to continue as applications such as e-commerce, telecommuting, and mobile computing continue to drive the demand for connectivity. Industry analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC), for example, predicts that total remote access market revenue will more than double from $3.8 billion in 1998 to $7.7 billion by 2003. Concurrently, the number of remote access concentrator ports shipped will nearly triple from more than 10 million in 1998 to 30 million in 2003, and the number of customers connected to the Internet internationally will soar from 150 million users to 500 million, according to the June 1999 IDC study. Market research firm Dataquest attributes this growth curve to a variety of factors, including sustained growth in telecommuting, Internet access, and mobile computing; expansion of the Internet and IP-based applications for both business and residential remote access; the proliferation of bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications on the Internet; and the continued migration of personal computers into the home and into more diverse demographic sectors of society. Other factors include industry deregulation, such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which signaled the rise of new competitive local exchange carriers, wireless service providers, and alternative carriers; the opening of the European telecommunications market
in 1998, an event that propelled even more international competition; and the introduction of alternative methods for connecting to the Internet from sources such as Web TV and cable TV networks. Industry acquisitions and mergers, such as the one recently announced by America Online and Time-Warner Corporation, also drive the market. The popularity of the Internet has engendered a host of new Internet service providers (ISPs) and next-generation telecommunication providers such as the new class of Internet telephony service providers (ITSPs.) Recent advances in networking technology and the move by service providers to utilize Voiceover-IP (VoIP) networks are continuing to spark the drive toward convergence of circuitand packet-switched networks and the development of new, interoperable, open service creation and delivery systems. The Solution: Total Control 1000 Multiservice Access Platform
Encouraged by the opportunity for business growth and the constant need to capture new revenue sources just to survive, major network operators have begun to create new and enhanced services such as Voice-over-IP and Fax-over-IP (FoIP), both of which provide substantial cost savings and new business opportunities for their customers. Key remote access solutions include:
• Virtual private networks (VPNs), which enable customers to utilize the Internet for remote access and corporate networking • Wireless services, which allow mobile users to enjoy conveniences such as e-mail and Internet connectivity from mobile phones and handheld devices • IP telephony, which enables a broad array of multimedia applications • Broadband services, including cable and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) • Advanced signaling solutions • Transaction processing To meet these challenges and continue its tradition of leadership in the remote access industry, 3Com offers the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform (Figure 1), a powerful, open, carrier-class access system that is able to accommodate the demands of new next-generation services. Indeed, 3Com pioneered multiservice access systems in the service provider marketplace and has supplied more than seven million Total Control 1000 access concentrator ports since 1993, including eight of the ten largest national service providers and many of the biggest carriers worldwide. 3Com foresaw the sweeping changes that would overtake the remote access industry and provided for future enhancements in the original design of the Total Control system. The initial product incorporated the use of
IMF intermachine facility IP Internet Protocol IPSec Internet Protocol Security IPX Internet Packet Exchange ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISP Internet service provider ITSP Internet telephony service provider IWF Interworking Function L2TP Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol LAC L2TP access concentrator LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LNS L2TP network server MIB management information base MLPPP Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol MPPE Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption MSC mobile switching center
Figure 1. The 3Com Total Control 1000 Multiservice Access Platform
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software upgrades, a feature that makes the system far easier to enhance than others that rely on hardware additions or revisions for upgrades. Moreover, the system can be updated without changing the original chassis, providing all-important investment protection for Total Control 1000 system customers.
NAC network application card NEBS Network Equipment Building System
CommWorks® Multiservice Architecture
Control 2000 multiservice access platforms, employs media gateway functions to integrate multiple types of traffic and accommodate disparate access networks. The second tier bridges different signaling and call control protocols, enabling multimedia traffic to seamlessly traverse disparate networks. The service creation tier provides an open service creation environment that leverages open interfaces and 3Com strategic partners to enable rapid application and service deployment. The open-systems architecture promotes a rapid-development environment, allowing new services to be brought to market in the shortest possible time, and it encourages service providers to deploy best-of-breed components. Moreover, the CommWorks architecture provides a uniform framework in which deployed services enjoy a consistent look and feel across applications and media types.
Essential to the Total Control 1000 platform is the CommWorks® multiservice architecture (Figure 2), a versatile solution that enables service providers to successfully evolve their infrastructure and deploy enhanced services. The CommWorks architecture comprises three tiers, enabling service providers to customize solutions independently at each tier to address individual customer needs. The media processing tier, which features the Total Control 1000 and forthcoming Total
NIC network interface card NMC network management card OSPF Open Shortest Path First OSS Operation Support System PCI Protocol Control Information PCS personal communications service
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Service creation tier
PPP Point-to-Point Protocol PPTP Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol PRI primary rate interface
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Media processing tier
QoS Quality of Service
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Figure 2. CommWorks Multiservice Architecture
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Total Control 1000 System Evolution
Since its introduction, the Total Control 1000 system has been updated at regular intervals to remain ahead of customer requirements and technological changes. As a result, the system’s modular midplane architecture now supports virtually every type of dial-up connection, including channelized T1/E1, T1/E1 primary rate interface (PRI), and SS7 support for ingress signals and Ethernet, Frame Relay, DS-3 ATM, and X.25 support for egress signals. Port density has increased exponentially. While other vendors have been forced to introduce entirely new platforms in order to keep pace with customer demands for port density, the Total Control 1000 system’s flexible, modular design has allowed 3Com to increase port density sevenfold without requiring customers to purchase a new chassis. The Total Control 1000 system also incorporates a reserve bus that can be used to add new technologies, allowing the platform to continue to expand as higher-speed transport systems, increased density, and higherbandwidth applications are developed. Because of the forethought given to the original design, customers enjoy investment protection. This contrasts with competitive products that have required multiple and costly hardware chassis upgrades or entirely new operating systems to accommodate new technology. The Total Control 1000 system also provides advanced chassis resource management to reduce cost of ownership and enable new service deployment. Based on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), the system provides full manageability for configuration and alarms. It also provides a wide range of software tools for complete management of the Total Control 1000 platform, including chassis element managers, which allow automatic rapid response to localized chassis events such as span and IP network failures. Additionally, the system offers a feature-rich suite of Remote Authentication DialIn User Service (RADIUS)–based service authorization and accounting for centralized control and administration of services and provisioning.
The Total Control 1000 platform answers the wide-ranging needs of service providers with its all-in-one design. With all communications components combined in a single chassis, customers can count on the Total Control 1000 platform to be the engine that delivers a host of diverse services. Service providers can now build competitive advantage through service differentiation and the ability to offer multiple services on a single multiservice platform. The benefits of this unified design include cost savings, a single manufacturer point of contact, reduced installation hassles, easier maintenance, centralized management, and simple upgradability.
RADIUS Remote Authentication DialIn User Service RAS remote access system RFI Request for Information SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control SLA service level agreement
Total Control 1000 Platform: Built to Grow
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol
The Total Control 1000 system is a no-worry platform, designed for future expansion with a flexible midplane architecture that supports emerging technology and applications. For example, the system’s flexible design enabled 3Com to develop the industry’s first Windows NT server integrated into a remote access server—the EdgeServer™ Pro card. This solution increases performance, simplifies installation, eases management, and enables organizations to run a variety of applications such as Web or intranet servers right from the chassis. The platform includes a powerful feature set, providing the following benefits: • Software upgradable. The system enables software downloads for upgrades and problem resolution, making it easy for customers to add new functionality that can bring a competitive edge. • High-density solution. It integrates the functionality of channel banks, CSU/DSUs, modems, CODECs, ISDN equipment, access routers, and terminal servers to achieve an unprecedented level of call density in a robust yet compact platform that is only five rack units high (8.75 in. or 22.25 cm.). The Total Control architecture provides highly competitive communications capabilities in a dense and resilient system at a low cost per port. • Future-proof design. The Total Control 1000 system is a modular chassis design,
SQL Structured Query Language SS7 Signaling System 7 TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol TDM Time Division Multiplexing ToS Type of Service VoIP Voice-over-IP VPN virtual private network VPOP virtual point of presence VSA vendor-specific attribute
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but accommodates new features and functionality via software upgrades and updated installable cards. This strategy has allowed the Total Control 1000 system to evolve with incremental, modular changes, preserving customer equipment investment. Modular System
A modular system, the Total Control 1000 platform is based on easily installable, frontloading network application cards (NACs) and rear-loading network interface cards (NICs), including an SNMP agent and power supplies. Up to 17 hot-swappable cards are connected through a high-bandwidth midplane. This provides the ability to customconfigure the chassis based on the network environment. NACs and NICs interface with the midplane via 180-pin, high-density connectors (Figure 3). In addition to the midplane, the chassis allows for an integrated fan tray, which provides vertical convection cooling for installed cards. Cards receive power through the midplane from two front-loaded power supply units and their corresponding rearloaded power supply interfaces. These loadsharing power supplies provide full redundancy. Card sets include a remote access router, a network management card, port cards for channelized telco facilities, wireless gateways, and voice gateways. Connectivity options include channelized T1/E1/IMT, 10/100
For information about the CommWorks architecture, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/news/ releases/pr00/jan2500e.html
For more information about the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/solutions/ svprovider/products/ totalcontrol1000/
Chassis midplane
Ethernet, Frame Relay, and DS-3 ATM connections. Bus Architecture
The Total Control 1000 system gives customers the convenience of a complete, selfcontained system for operation, management, and configuration flexibility. The core of the design uses a custom-developed bus structure, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) NuBus standard. The protocol and pin-out design of 3Com’s midplane data bus is patented by 3Com and is field-proven in thousands of chassis deployed worldwide. The chassis midplane contains multiple data buses that allow communications between all cards in the chassis. By using separate buses for specific data types instead of a single bus for all data types, the Total Control 1000 architecture eliminates throughput and efficiency problems. The system also ensures the kind of fail-safe protection lacking in competing products, in which all cards are connected to a single bus and any card can become a point of failure for the entire system. The Total Control 1000 system’s buses (see Figure 4) include: • Packet bus • Management bus • TDM bus • PCI bus • General-purpose bus
Rear-loaded NICs Rear-loaded PSIs
Front-loaded NACs Integrated fan tray
Front-loaded PSUs
Figure 3. Total Control 1000 Chassis Architecture
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Packet bus. The packet bus enables highspeed inter-card communications among NACs (except the network management card) handling the access applications. The packet bus is capable of 1 Gbps throughput between packet-oriented devices such as the Total Control 1000 access router card and the 24port Total Control 1000 DSP card. Management bus. The management bus provides dedicated, full-duplex channels that run from the network management card (NMC) in slot 17 to each of the NAC slots. It also provides an individual dedicated serial channel from each NIC to the NMC. This bus lets the NMC communicate with installed cards for configuration, status queries, issuing commands, performing tests, and downloading software to NACs. TDM bus. A Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) bus enables communications between telco truck interface cards and port cards in the chassis. PCI bus. Communication between NACs and their corresponding NICs is accomplished through the Protocol Control Information (PCI) bus.
General-purpose bus. The general-purpose bus is actually a reserve bus designed to accommodate future expansion. Although it doesn’t carry data traffic today, it is can be used to accommodate evolving technology. Total Control 1000 Access System
Representing a breakthrough in remote access technology, the high-density access system for the Total Control 1000 platform combines high performance with expandable technology that makes it possible for the system to add new features and functions to meet industry and customer demands. Consisting of hotswappable DSP modem cards and access router cards, the access system processes calls from the telco infrastructure and delivers them to the service provider’s network. The system is capable of terminating voice, data, and fax calls over both analog and ISDN modems. When used as a complete system, Total Control 1000 cards offer unsurpassed performance. They are able to support and route 336 analog or digital dial-up calls via T1 connections or 420 analog or digital dial-up sessions via E1 connections. And because they employ V.Everything®, advanced x2™, and V.90 technologies, they deliver the highest
Slot 1 T1/E1/PRI
Slot 17 NMC
For more information about the Total Control 1000 architecture, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ solutions/svprovider/ products/rac/benefits.html
Power supply units
Network interface cards (NICs)
Packet bus (1 Gbps) TDM bus
Midplane bus
Management bus General-purpose bus — reserved for future applications
Network application cards (NACs)
Front
Figure 4. Total Control Multiservice Access Platform Midplane Bus Architecture
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possible communication speeds in the analog environment. Total Control 1000 DSP Cards
Just as the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform was conceived and created as an expandable, upgradable system, so too were Total Control 1000 DSP modem cards. The fully programmable DSP engine is the key to their flexibility. By incorporating DSPs into the design, cards can be easily reconfigured via software upgrade rather than by costly hardware purchases every time new applications and technologies require support. Software upgrades ensure that modems support the latest speeds and that they can be used to add new applications, such as support for multimedia and voice. As a result, customers who purchase cards today can be assured of their high performance tomorrow. DSPs deliver a high level of functionality in a small space. A single DSP enables multiple modem sessions, ISDN processing, voiceCODECs, and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) processing, and double the number of analog or ISDN calls of a standard modem. As a result, 3Com can manufacture cards that are extremely compact and able to fit into a chassis that is only 8.75 inches high, minimizing storage space requirements. Moreover, cards are hot-swappable, so system administrators can change or remove DSP card sets while the system remains operational.
For more information about the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/solutions/ svprovider/products/rac/ hiper.html
For more information about Total Control 1000 DSP cards, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ solutions/svprovider/ products/rac/hiperdsp.html
Total Control 1000 Access Router Card
For more information about the Total Control 1000 ARC, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/solutions/ svprovider/glance/ updates03.html
The Total Control 1000 access router card (ARC) functions as the secure IP gateway between the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the service provider’s network. The ARC is a high-speed IP forwarding system that processes digital and analog calls, with embedded security mechanisms to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the network. After the access router card processes ingress signals, user data is routed to various destinations across the network. The ARC includes an advanced RADIUS client that supports centralized authorization, user attributes (which services are allowed), and admin-
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istration, such as accounting, to further reduce the cost of ownership and easily deploy new revenue-generating services. The router card set provides full access routing functionality, including firewall, protocol filtering, compression, and authentication. In a dual card set implementation, it can be configured to share the workload and provide redundancy in case of a hardware failure. The ARC also offers powerful flexibility to network designers by providing multiple NIC interfaces. All NIC interfaces include standard 10/100 Ethernet, with options for V.35 Frame Relay/PPP, T1/E1 Frame Relay/PPP, X.25, and DS-3 ATM. Such flexibility enables service providers to support multiple customer needs in a single Total Control 1000 platform. Total Control 1000 Network Management Solutions
3Com Total Control 1000 network management functions in all three tiers of the CommWorks multiservice architecture (Figure 2 on page 4), providing flexible operator management of IP services. This distributed solution includes the Total Control network management card for agent management, CommWorks 5000 network management system for network management, and CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager (formerly Total Control Manager) for element management. Total Control 1000 Network Management Card
The core component of the Total Control 1000 network management solution, the network management card (NMC), provides complete SNMP-based remote management of the Total Control 1000 platform. The NMC provides: • Robust chassis event and alarm reporting • Configuration management • Software download to chassis elements • Chassis parameter storage • Rapid response to preconfigured chassis events When integrated with the Total Control 1000 platform, the NMC enables Operation Support System (OSS)–based services such as resource management, service level agreement
(SLA) monitoring, and bandwidth management. Based on next-generation hardware, Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), and a real-time operating system, the NMC allows high capacity for trap and alarm traffic for the ever-increasing port densities and evolving call models of applications such as VoIP and video. The NMC also features a secondary RADIUS client that provides real-time reporting of additional call parameters such as call modulation type. The client can also be used to gather call and user access statistics for determining network characteristics and SLA validation. 3Com CommWorks 5000 Network Management System
With the CommWorks 5000 network management system, 3Com answers the network management needs of service providers with a unified, carrier-class solution for deploying and managing next-generation services. The solution streamlines configuration and maintenance of those services with a modular, crossplatform architecture and the ability to perform bulk operations. Thus, network operators can easily accomplish tasks such as global configuration on groups of Total Control 1000 systems and on other vendors’ devices, perform bulk software downloads, and apply performance monitoring and troubleshooting across the network and across various operating platforms. The 3Com solution incorporates element adapters or modules that enable service providers to tailor their network management systems to meet individual requirements and add management capabilities as needs arise. For example, a service provider could add an optional adapter for managing event correlation, an operation that involves troubleshooting across multiple platforms network-wide.
lessly with popular service provider network management systems such as Hewlett-Packard OpenView, providing a graphical user interface that enables customers to effectively manage their Total Control 1000 platforms (Figure 5). Designed to include full compatibility with industry-standard SNMP, the CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager provides powerful tools for central management using a customer’s non-dedicated workstation. It includes features such as performance monitoring for identifying bottlenecks; auto-response for detecting faults on a channel, device, or platform and then automatically correcting them; and chassis inventory for detailing all components on the platform. In addition, it facilitates the rapid deployment of new technology within the Total Control 1000 system by performing software downloads directly to Total Control 1000 ARC and DSP cards. For more information about Total Control 1000 management solutions, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/solutions/ svprovider/products/rac/ tcm.html
Steel-Belted Radius/Service Provider Edition
The Total Control 1000 management system’s optional security and accounting server software, Steel-Belted Radius/Service Provider Edition, has been seamlessly integrated into the CommWorks 5000 platform, providing another example of how 3Com continues to enhance the Total Control 1000 system’s capabilities to embrace vital emerging technologies. By incorporating this add-on solution into the third, or service creation, tier of the
CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager
When used in conjunction with the NMC, 3Com’s industry-leading element management software solution, CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager, provides easy configuration and management of the Total Control 1000 platform. It works seam-
Figure 5. CommWorks 5110 Enhanced Data Systems Manager Interface
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CommWorks platform, 3Com leverages advanced RADIUS clients in the Total Control 1000 system for centralized administration and policy application for remote user access. Using the solution, service providers can easily manage delivery of enhanced services such as Internet access, global roaming, outsourced remote access, wireless connectivity, and VPNs. The solution provides the ability to perform critical, high-level authentication, authorization, and accounting functions using the standards-based RADIUS protocol as a conduit for network security requests, user service permissions, and call accounting information. This allows services, attributes, and accounting information to be driven from or to customer databases and directories using Structured Query Language (SQL) and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), making the Total Control 1000 platform a truly directory-enabled device that can be integrated with customer-selected and -developed provisioning, SLA management, and IP billing solutions. The solution also features easily configured user profiles, which can apply return attributes based on user, Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS), or domain for proxy and local authentication. Steel Belted Radius/Service Provider Edition supports all Total Control 1000 platform vendor-specific attributes (VSAs), all 3Com RADIUS clients, and numerous non-3Com network devices built for multivendor environments.
For more information about the Steel Belted Radius, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ solutions/svprovider/ network_management/ radius_spe_ds09.html
Applications
As competition in the remote access service industry rages, new technology, new applications, and new services are emerging at a staggering rate. Success in this environment requires innovation coupled with open and flexible service platforms capable of delivering the types of applications and services customers and businesses demand. The Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform is a unique system that provides support for new applications—all from a single chassis. By using simple software addons incorporated into the service creation tier
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of the CommWorks architecture, customers can enable exciting new services and technologies, such as support for SS7. As a result, service providers can now build competitive advantage through service differentiation and the ability to offer multiple services such as Internet and remote access, VPN, voice, fax, and wireless access. Internet Access—Enhanced Data Services
Because of its exceptional performance and advanced call-handling features, the Total Control 1000 system is the world’s leading enhanced data services platform. Its superior technology delivers high port density and performance for both traditional analog plain old telephone service (POTS) and ISDN calls dynamically, and ensures the fastest connections through every kind of modem architecture available. Protocol processing—such as PPP, Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (MLPPP), and TCP/IP—is distributed across the platform to eliminate throughput bottlenecks, and each card added for increased density includes ample processing power to handle additional calls. Calls are then routed to 10/100 Ethernet LANs and ATM or Frame Relay WANs to create a self-contained, wholly integrated remote access server. The advanced call handling and high capacity provided by the Total Control 1000 platform is always available through the system’s use of redundant, hot-swappable components. As a result, service providers experience virtually no downtime and can therefore count on the Total Control 1000 system as a reliable Internet access platform and allimportant revenue source. Corporate/Private Remote Access for Business
Many enterprise customers are outsourcing their remote access services because of such market drivers as high telecommunications costs, high equipment purchase and maintenance costs, and the availability of VPN technology for enabling secure private remote access applications. The Total Control 1000 platform provides powerful RAS features, such as Internet Packet Exchange (IPX) protocol
connectivity/routing and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing. The industry-standard VPN protocols in the Total Control 1000 platform have allowed 3Com’s service provider customers to offer enhanced data services outsourcing to enterprises. The following section on VPN services details how these features have been developed for service provider customers who choose to offer such enhanced access services. Virtual Private Networking
3Com has been a leader in developing VPN applications. It was a co-author of the Pointto-Point Protocol (PPTP) and turnkey solutions such as Internet Equal Access and Customer Control Access. As a result of this track record, the VPN solution for the Total Control 1000 platform is among the most powerful and complete VPN multiservice access solutions in the industry. The VPN solution answers the critical networking chal-
lenges faced by carriers growing beyond traditional network infrastructure, as well as those of service providers that are adding service and expanding geographical coverage. Using Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards such as PPTP and Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) tunneling, as well as IPSec, Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE), and RADIUS-based authentication, the VPN solution enables ISPs, national service providers, and carriers to use the Internet or their own IP backbones to provide customers with secure remote access and branch office connectivity (Figure 6). VPN connections simulate dedicated links, such as those provided by Frame Relay connections, but occur over public and shared connections like the Internet. Using a technique called tunneling, data packets are sent across the Internet or other commercially available shared network in a private tunnel that simulates a point-to-point connection.
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Figure 6. Total Control 1000 VPN Network Configurations
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ed litariz Demi ne o z
Because packets are encrypted or scrambled, contained data remains impenetrable by unwanted users until it reaches its destination and receives decoding. The benefits of using VPNs for service providers include the ability to lease VPN ports to enterprises using L2TP and PPTP tunneling. Service providers can increase business by offering a variety of value-added services, such as remote access outsourcing and virtual points of presence (VPOPs). Using the Total Control 1000 VPN solution, service providers, for example, offer branch office connectivity over their own IP network, thus lowering service costs for enterprise customers. They can offer branch connectivity without having to make capital investment or build their own IP network. Or they can expand their geographic reach by leasing VPOPs, a method in which an ISP acting as a dial access outsourcer can receive calls from users and then forward traffic over a VPN to another ISP leasing the VPOP.
For more information about Total Control 1000 VPN solutions, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ solutions/svprovider/ products/rac/vpn.html
Signaling System 7 Integration
Most of today’s IP-based remote access systems incorporate ISDN-PRI facilities to establish call connections with central office switches. But these facilities remain limited by their fixed nature, and their relatively high cost of scaling. As an alternative, 3Com’s SS7 integration solution for the Total Control 1000 platform provides more intelligent and flexible call routing, increased scalability, and end-to-end signaling consistency—all with lower operating costs. In addition, SS7 provides a way to ease Internet congestion, thereby offering a more reliable service to Internet access customers. SS7 integration is a cornerstone technology for VoIP implementation, ensuring integration with the traditional voice network. In a two-part solution, 3Com delivers SS7 integration to the Total Control 1000 platform first by providing signaling control with the CommWorks 4007 signaling gateway platform (Figure 7). This high-end server, based on redundant Sun Netra-T hardware, can terminate the SS7 signaling from the telephone network for up to 36,000 Total Con-
For more information about Total Control 1000 SS7 integration, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ news/releases/pr99/ sep2799b.html
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trol 1000 ports. All call signals (setup, progress, and tear-down messages) arrive via two or more A-links (or F-links), serial facilities provided by the telephone company’s SS7 network. The SS7 signaling messages are processed by the CommWorks 4007 signaling gateway platform, converted to the Q.931 signaling protocol (the protocol ISDN-PRI employs for signaling), and sent over the LAN to the Total Control 1000 chassis that is to handle the call. This is a bidirectional system, so it can also process messages originating from the Total Control 1000 system and deliver them to the SS7 network across the Aor F-links. The second part of the solution is implemented on the Total Control 1000 platform. Before SS7 integration, most signaling messages for call setup and tear-down were received via the ISDN-PRI span or facility attached to the DSP card that terminated the call. With SS7, signaling messages are received over the LAN via the ARC or edge server card. These messages originate from the CommWorks 4007 signaling gateway platform (as described above), and are passed across the chassis midplane to the DSP card that terminates the call. With ISDN-PRI signaling no longer necessary, ingress can be terminated on intermachine facilities (IMFs) instead of on more costly ISDN-PRIs. The specific protocol used on the A-links differs from country to country. The initial 3Com SS7 gateway offering supports the U.S., Canada, and Mexico protocol. Upcoming releases will support protocols for Europe, the Asia-Pacific Rim, and South America; 3Com and its strategic partners have developed seamless, highly integrated solutions. As with all Total Control 1000 components, each aspect of SS7 integration—including signaling termination, IMF interfaces, and gateway functionality—accommodates growth and change via software downloads and does not require forklift upgrades to existing equipment. Because of the system’s flexibility, scalability, reliability, and lower operating cost, it is imperative for service providers to implement 3Com’s SS7 solution if they are to remain competitive in the future.
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Figure 7. SS7-Based IP Telephony Deployment
IP Telephony
3Com’s CommWorks IP telephony solution is a service provider–class system that takes advantage of IP networks to enable a whole new generation of products and services at substantial savings over those provided by the public phone system. With the 3Com solution, service providers can seamlessly integrate IP networks with their circuit-switched networks for delivery of traditional telephony services and a host of enhanced services (Figure 8). These enhanced services, which can be deployed quickly and easily with the system’s open environment, encompass IP faxing, including never-busy fax, broadcast fax, and
fax-on-demand; unified messaging for onestop access to voice mail, e-mail, and faxes; Internet call waiting for simultaneous access to voice calls and the Internet; “click-to-talk” functionality, which enables users to establish voice connection by clicking on a Web page; and a host of other multimedia applications. 3Com’s IP telephony system is based on a three-tier architecture that includes a media processing tier, control tier, and service creation tier; these tiers process signals to and from the IP network, provide security and routing functions, and perform necessary back-office services such as recordkeeping and billing.
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Figure 8. IP Telephony Network Configurations
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SS7
The media processing tier features the Total Control 1000 IP telephony media gateway, which provides universal connectivity delivered by a variety of network access options to enable interworking of IP, PSTN, cable, and wireless networks. In a typical voice call, the media gateway converts voice signals from the PSTN to IP packets suitable for transport over the Internet or private IP network. Voice calls are encoded, compressed, and placed into packets by an originating gateway, and then decompressed, decoded, and reassembled in the destination gateway. The second tier, or call control layer, comprised of media gateway controllers, bridges different signaling call control protocols to enable multimedia traffic to seamlessly traverse disparate networks. The third tier, or service creation layer, creates an environment for application and service development. The three tiers of the CommWorks IP telephony solution work together to seamlessly interface with the PSTN and augment the PSTN’s capabilities by leveraging efficient, cost-effective packet-based networks that deliver toll-quality voice and enhanced services. A major advantage of the solution can be found in its underlying standards-based distributed, open architecture, which employs open application programming interfaces (APIs). This approach enables service providers to incorporate their own customized back-end servers into the existing network infrastructure. As a result, they can quickly deliver new
For more information about Total Control 1000 IP telephony solution, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/solutions/ svprovider/products/rac/ voip.html
applications and services, thereby generating new revenue by expanding service offerings or their geographic presence. Wireless
As wireless service providers rush to add new mobile data features to meet an increasing rise in use of wireless telephone and handheld devices, 3Com stands as the leading purveyor of equipment suited to deliver these new features with its wireless solution for the Total Control platform. 3Com’s Interworking Function (IWF) system for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) provider networks was not only the first solution for delivering circuitswitched data to mobile users, it is also the most complete system for bridging the gap between wireless CDMA networks and the public telephone system. Based on Total Control modem technology, the IWF system enables CDMA carriers to provide circuit-switched modem-based data and fax services to CDMA wireless users (Figure 9). It also features 3Com’s Quick Net Connect functionality, which enables mobile users to bypass the PSTN entirely and establish direct IP connections to the Internet or intranets, thereby eliminating recurring PSTN toll charges and lengthy modem setup time. This feature provides a potential new source of revenue by allowing CDMA carriers to become ISPs. It also is the very feature that enables personal communications service (PCS) carriers to offer popular wireless Web access
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Figure 9. CDMA Wireless Solution for the Total Control Platform
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services via a CDMA mobile phone—services that would not be possible without 3Com technology. Using Quick Net Connect, the Total Control IWF system can establish a direct IP connection to the Internet or route CDMA data directly through a PPTP or L2TP tunnel to a private network, thus establishing an all digital, end-to-end connection with a rapid setup time that enables reliable, fast connections. As a result, mobile users establish connections in as little as three seconds, compared to a 20- to 40-second analog cellular link. In addition, PPTP and L2TP tunneling features enable companies to extend secure VPN connectivity to wireless users. Additionally, 3Com has deployed a packet data version of the IWF system that provides speeds of up to 64 Kbps and enables service providers to quickly migrate to a thirdgeneration wireless solution for increased services and performance. Cable
The heart of 3Com’s data-over-cable solution, the Total Control 1000 Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) provides an ideal solution for delivering broadband data services. It features a modular, Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)–compliant architecture that delivers over 1 Gbps of capacity. Highly flexible and efficient, it is the only system of its kind that allows simultaneous cable- and telephony-return services. In addition, it scales on demand in cost-efficient increments. Extensive network management support for the Total Control 1000 CMTS is provided via the CommWorks 5010 Manager. The solution also includes a full complement of SNMP management information bases (MIBs), including MIB II, DOCSIS RFI (Request for Information), and DOCSIS TRI MIBs. Transaction Processing
Total Control 1000 transaction processing software provides a high-performance, flexible method for handling the hundreds of millions of short-duration calls used in transaction pro-
cessing. Transaction processing includes such applications as credit card authorization, debit card fund transfers, and health benefit authorization. Employing state-of-the-art technology, the Total Control 1000 transaction processing system speeds transaction times by shortening modem handshake times by 70 to 75 percent. In addition, support for transaction protocols such as VISA I/II and synchronous transaction protocols (ISO 8583, SDLC) with full protocol emulation speeds transactions and reduces traffic to a processing host by up to 50 percent. Faster call processing translates to faster transaction times, reduced telephone network costs, and fewer dedicated circuits and host ports. A highly flexible solution, the transaction processing system automatically configures the system on a call-by-call basis, enabling transaction service providers to support multiple customer needs using a single platform. It supports both TCP/IP and X.25 protocols in a single system and provides the ability to select either one automatically based on the DNIS feature of 800 phone lines.
For more information about Total Control 1000 wireless solutions, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ solutions/svprovider/ products/rac/wireless.html
Continued Enhancements to Lead the Industry
As the remote access industry and technology continue to evolve, so too will the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform. 3Com will continue to increase port density, add functionality, and offer new interfaces to ensure that the Total Control 1000 platform remains ahead of industry changes and provides the functionality customers require. 3Com will also continue to enhance the Total Control 1000 operating system, providing customers with the ability to enable new features and capabilities to meet demand and technological advancements. Set for release next year, Total Control 1000 System Version 4.0 will include a variety of new features, including the ability to specify IP Type of Service (ToS) bits to enable Quality of Service (QoS) policies and seven individual traffic queues. IPSec enhancements will deliver features in hardware, at wire speed, such as shared keys to support encryption methods
For more information about the Total Control 1000 transaction processing system, visit the following Web site: www.3com.com/ products/dsheets/ 400444.html
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DES, 3DES, HMAC-MD5, and HMACSHA1 using the BSAFE encryption library. Moreover, 3Com will continue to introduce new additions to the CommWorks platform. These new software solutions will give service providers even more flexibility in managing diverse applications and hardware system-wide, in addition to providing applications for enabling new enhanced services such as IP fax and interactive voice response. Future releases will also enable exciting services such as enhanced fax, Internet call waiting, unified messaging, Web-based call centers, voice VPNs, and Web conferencing. In addition, 3Com will soon introduce its new Total Control 2000 platform, which will be capable of serving hundreds of thousands of subscribers. The Total Control 1000 platform is proven in areas of the network where tens of thousands of subscribers are served. Like the Total Control 1000 platform, the new Total Control 2000 system will include fully redundant system components and a common equipment architecture that will significantly simplify capacity expansion. The Total Control 2000 platform is designed from the ground up for full Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) Level 3 compliance.
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It also will feature a highly distributed routing topology that ensures optimum performance as the system scales to meet demand and as new capabilities are introduced. Conclusion
As rapid growth in the Internet and corporate networking drives the need for new applications and services, service providers are deploying a host of new offerings to meet the demand. This is giving rise to cutthroat competition as those service providers attempt to differentiate themselves and look for ways to offer better value at lower prices. In the face of these developments, 3Com has engineered a product that allows service providers to meet the challenges. The flexible, modular design of the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform enables customers to embrace new technologies and a wide array of revenue-enhancing services from a single platform. Its forward-thinking design, with its easy upgrade path and ability to support current and future technologies, provides proof of 3Com’s commitment to assist service providers in responding to changing technology and market conditions while capturing new revenues.
About 3Com Corporation With over 300 million customer connections worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people and organizations to information and each other in more innovative, simple and reliable ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers e-Networking solutions through information access products and network systems to enterprises, small businesses, consumers, carriers and network service providers.
3Com Corporation 5400 Bayfront Plaza P.O. Box 58145 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145 Phone: 1 800 NET 3Com or 1 408 326 5000 Fax: 1 408 326 5001 World Wide Web: www.3com.com 3Com Americas International U.S. Headquarters (serving Canada and Latin America) Phone: 1 408 326 6328/1 408 326 6075 Fax: 1 408 326 5730/ 1 408 326 8914 Miami Phone: 1 305 461 8400 Fax: 1 305 461 8401/02 3Com Canada Calgary Phone: 403 265 3266 Fax: 403 265 3268 Edmonton Phone: 780 423 3266 Fax: 780 423 2368 Montreal Phone: 514 683 3266 Fax: 514 683 5122 Ottawa Phone: 613 566 7055 Fax: 613 233 9527 Vancouver Phone: 604 434 3266 Fax: 604 434 3264 3Com Latin America Argentina (serving Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay ) Phone: 54 11 4510 3200 Fax: 54 11 4314 3329 Brazil Phone: 55 11 5643 2700 Fax: 55 11 5643 2701 Chile Phone: 562 240 6200 Fax: 562 240 6231 Colombia Phone: 57 1 629 4110 Fax: 57 1 629 4503
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To learn more about 3Com products and services, visit our Web site at www.3com.com. 3Com Corporation is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol COMS. The information contained in this document represents the current view of 3Com Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because 3Com must respond to changing market conditions, this paper should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of 3Com, and 3Com cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only; 3Com makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document. © 2000 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 3Com, the 3Com logo, CommWorks, Total Control, and V.Everything are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. EdgeServer and x2 are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. OpenView is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft. IPX is a trademark of Novell. Other brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Printed in U.S.A. on recycled paper
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