SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 -- Omnitron Systems has unveiled the iConverter HybridNID, a network interface device designed to enable the delivery of carrier-grade Ethernet services across multiple-operator networks and provide independent service-level agreement (SLA) verification.
When installed at the customer premises or cell tower, the iConverter HybridNID enables both a service provider and wholesale operator partner to provision, manage, and monitor the Ethernet service. Alternatively, wholesalers can use the iConverter HybridNID to give enterprise and other customers visibility into the delivery of the services for which they’ve contracted.
Omnitron Systems says the HybridNID has been demonstrated to be interoperable with other Ethernet equipment that supports end-to-end service OAM. The Ethernet services market is projected by Vertical Systems Group to reach $40.2 billion in 2014. This market growth is driven by demand for business services that connect enterprise customers regionally, nationally and globally across multiple operator networks. The recent ratification of the Ethernet Network-to-Network Interface (ENNI) specification by the Metro Ethernet Forum and the adoption of Ethernet Exchanges are enabling these service interconnects, Omnitron says.
As with conventional NIDs, the iConverter HybridNID supports MEF-certified User-to-Network Interface (UNI) functions such as Class of Service prioritization, rate-limiting, and Provider Bridge VLAN stacking for service multiplexing of multiple E-LINE and E-LAN services. The NID also supports service mapping and traffic policing and shaping. The NID also provides carrier-grade, MEF-certified demarcation for Carrier Ethernet business services, and complies with IEEE 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management and ITU-T Y.1731 Performance Monitoring.
Deploying conventional NIDs is a challenge when service providers deliver services outside of their network (off-net), and must partner with wholesale operators -- particularly in terms of being able to monitor services at the off-net customer location. Omnitron’s iConverter HybridNID, which the company says is literally two NIDs in one, is designed to address this issue by providing a single platform that delivers the Ethernet service via one UNI and enables both the service provider and the wholesale operator to manage and monitor the Ethernet service.
The iConverter HybridNID is designed to clearly define the service responsibilities between the service provider and the wholesale operator by incorporating two securely segregated management entities. The wholesale operator owns, installs, manages and maintains the HybridNID, which is part of the wholesale access service that is leased by the service provider. The service provider has management access to provision service attributes. Both the wholesale operator and service provider can monitor OAM functions.
The HybridNID supports zero-touch provisioning to reduce the time required to install equipment at the customer premises and activate service. Pre-configured service parameter templates can be remotely uploaded to the HybridNID from a remote server. This enables a technician to easily install a HybridNID by connecting cables and turning on power. LEDs display that the HybridNID is provisioned and service is turned up.
The HybridNID can be used in any deployment that requires delivery of carrier-grade Ethernet services with independent SLA verification, Omnitron says. These include out-of-franchise wholesale Ethernet business services and in-franchise (on-net) services where the subscriber has access to the other management entity in the HybridNID for value-added performance assurance. The HybridNID can also be deployed as a demarcation device at a cell tower by a wireline operator who is providing 4G/LTE mobile backhaul for a wireless carrier.
The iConverter Hybrid NID can be remotely managed through TELNET, SNMPv1/v2c/v3 and IP-less 802.3ah OAM extensions. SNMP management is accessed via Omnitron’s NetOutlook Network Management software that supports rapid provisioning and performance monitoring with data that is displayed in a graphical format.