Beyond access

That you can't make money on $20 a month has become a truism among Internet service providers. Vendors are listening. As a result, many will load this year's Supercomm show floor with Internet infrastructure equipment-routers, caches and virtual private network packages-that will give small ISPs faster and cheaper ways to offer their customers services beyond simple Web access. Large ISPs will get the muscle to cope with the bandwidth demands that e-commerce, rich streaming multimedia and application outsourcing are sure to bring.

On the router side, Ariel Corp. will showcase its PowerPOP architecture, which combines open systems platforms running Linux and Windows NT with PCI cards. Using this architecture, ISPs can build internal infrastructure or offer corporate customers a platform on which to build their own VPNs using a V.90 modem and basic rate ISDN. The basic PowerPOP platform combines a PC server with one or more high-density Ariel RS2000 remote access plug-in cards, a LAN card and a router. To this base platform, ISPs can add Linux- or Windows NT-based software components such as authentication, directory functions, e-mail, FTP, Web servers, Web caching, news group support and backup.

"It's a way to put intelligence out there cheaply," said Dennis Schneider, Ariel's vice president of global marketing. "Small ISPs get a low initial cost, low support and low maintenance because service can be done with NT technicians rather than through exclusive vendor contracts. And medium-size ISPs get an ability to fine-tune their services on the fly."

The typical Ariel RS2000 board, priced at $6995, combines an ISDN and T-1 (1.54 Mb/s) interface with up to 24 input modems that can be configured for connections from V.34 to basic rate ISDN.

Mapletree Networks also builds its access solution around PCI cards, mostly for OEM integration. The company's 1000 Series module, built on its proprietary Uniporte architecture, incorporates high-performance processors and application-specific integrated circuits. The module automatically detects and processes any call type on a call-by-call basis, so service providers can use it for packetized functions such as voice over Internet protocol or fax over IP. This functionality will eventually allow providers to use the PCI for carrier-class remote access solutions.

At the other end of the scale, Torrent Networking Technologies will showcase its IP9520 router, a high-density gigabit unit meant to help large service providers in the Internet traffic aggregation space deliver new data services. The aim is to give providers the capacity to take on WAN outsourcing from enterprise clients-a job software-based routers are not up to, said Vice President of Marketing Gordon Saussy.

The 20 Gb/s IP9520 features 15 slots for DS-3, OC-3 and OC-12 WAN interface modules. The router can support up to 60 OC-3s or 30 OC-12s (asynchronous transfer mode or packet over Sonet); 60 channelized DS-3s; more than 120,000 ATM virtual circuits; and more than 7000 T-1 and fractional T-1 terminations.

Each port on Torrent's IP9520 has a forwarding path with wire speed route lookup and advanced traffic handling capabilities. The unit also provides advanced IP services such as service differentiation, VPN provisioning and traffic engineering via new standards such as DiffServ and MPLS.

Finally, Redback Networks will highlight the Subscriber Management System 500, an intelligent networking device intended to ease the entry of ISPs into the high-speed data market. The SMS 500 bridges the gap between service provider backbone routers and high-speed access equipment in the telco central office or cable/wireless headend. Deployed at points of presence (POPs), the unit accepts a large concentration of high-speed data traffic from a range of devices-digital subscriber line access multiplexers, cable modem termination systems and wireless headends-and grooms that traffic for a service provider's backbone routers.

The SMS 500 is designed to enable rapid, scalable deployment of Internet access, leveraging the provisioning, accounting and management systems an ISP already uses. An ISP providing DSL now via the SMS 500 can add a wireless service offering later through the same unit, which can support up to 1000 concurrent subscriber sessions and more than 2000 permanent virtual circuits.

VPNs virtually everywhere According to Infonetics Research, the VPN services market is expected to hit $30 billion in sales by 2003-65% of that in services hosted by ISPs. But that forecast will only come true if ISPs outside the first tier can amass the expertise and resources needed to grow the market. VPNet will feature the VPNsure program, offering ISPs the equipment to ease the task of managing enterprise VPNs by providing market analysis, business planning, installation, maintenance and round-the-clock global customer support through VPNsure alliance partners such as IBM Global Services.

On the equipment side, VPNet will use Supercomm to highlight its VPNware VSU-1100 system for IPSec-compliant VPNs. The enterprise-class VSU-1100 offers the performance and scalability to support large-scale VPN managed services, maintaining wire speed performance and providing remote access to 5000 concurrent users.

The VSU-1100 supports ICSA-certified IPSec and network address translation and incorporates the company's new VPNremote client software with Dyna-Policy download, a feature that ensures remote clients are updated with the latest policy information automatically on access. The unit provides triple DES encryption at 100 Mb/s, compresses data packets in real time and installs on any 10BaseT network.

Netopia Inc.'s Supercomm offering will include a new set of enhancements to its R-series Internet equipment, which will make its R7100, R3100-I and R9100 DSL routers the first to integrate virtual private networking-including encryption-as a standard feature in a single box.

"DSL connections offer small and medium-sized businesses a cost-effective alternative to traditional leased lines, but until now DSL routers haven't offered the VPN features that businesses need," said Barbara Tien, product marketing director for Netopia's Internet equipment division. Netopia will offer a firmware upgrade to IPSec encryption in the fourth quarter of 1999.

Spreading cache around The fat multimedia Internet applications that should start coming down the pipe any day now will tax the capacities of almost everyone's network, so vendors are looking to help ISPs get content out to the edges with new caching and mirroring capabilities.

Inktomi will highlight the newest version of its carrier-class network cache platform, Traffic Server 3.0. In addition to thetraditional caching benefits of faster downloads and lower bandwidth costs, alliances with software partners now enable a number of strategic new services that Inktomi says will increase revenues and customer loyalty.

For example, Traffic Server 3.0 now integrates RealNetworks' RealSystem G2 media player more tightly into its platform, including RealAudio, RealVideo and other RealMedia data types. The unit also includes content distribution support from Sandpiper Networks and Webspective, Internet content filtering from NetPartners/Internet Solutions' WebSENSE, interactive applications from Arepa Inc. and content transformation for Internet devices other than PCs from Network Computer and Spyglass.

Network Appliance will showcase caching appliances built with the latest version of NetCache, incorporating SmartFilter by Secure Computing to provide customers with cost-effective administration of Internet/intranet access policies and management of critical data. The platform will also add WAN performance enhancements that accelerate the transmission of both cached and uncached data.

NetApp will also exhibit its new C720s caching appliance, tailored for the storage and performance needs of mid-sized enterprises and ISP POPs. The unit offers 256 MBytes RAM and two 9 GByte disk drives for a price starting at $18,000.

Finally, Lucent Technologies will feature its first entry into the caching market, IPWorX. Currently in beta testing, the system combines replication, caching and intelligent switching of Web content to anticipate traffic requirements and minimize bandwidth use.

"We realized that a group of caches working together could do more than each individual cache could do by itself," said Product Director Garrett Dreier. In the face of increasing Internet usage, e-commerce and real-time streaming multimedia, distributed architecture is the key, and Lucent has developed a suite of products that offer local caching along with application-based switching and load balancing.

Content caching is done by the IPWorX WebCache WC100, a dedicated appliance that can process 500 to 900 URLs a second and has 18 GBytes of storage. The WebDirector intelligent content switch identifies and directs traffic based on IP address, URL or client cookies. WebController provides centralized control of caches and switches, using standards gathering to analyze Web traffic, direct content flow, update content at its source and report access rates and hit ratios in graph form.