Data Plane development

Executive Summary

Our customer, one of the fastest growing companies in the field of high speed communications, specializes in developing cutting edge network solutions including scalable network architectures, systems, software and highly complex integrated circuits. Our customer engaged us to enable PBT support for their 40gig network processor and enable IPv4 Forwarding &MPLS Forwarding (LSR and LER Functions). Our team designed and implemented the PBB-TE along with CFM functionality and IPv4 forwarding, MPLS forwarding in their date plane and also integrated with ZebOS control plane software running on Linux with the NP data plane

The Customer

Our customer is a leading player in high speed network processor solutions delivering programmable network processors, software and network elements for the world's most demanding broadband networks.

The Challenge

  • Upcoming technology (PBT or PBB-TE) which was still not fully standardized
  • Understand the customers NP development environment, which was new
  • Very aggressive schedule
  • Development of application over a beta release SDK
  • Linux Kernel enhancement for MPLS forwarding with ZebOS Control Stack enabled with RSVP running on Test Nodes

The Solution

  • Design and Implementation of the PBT data plane
    • 802.1ad – Q-in-Q
    • 802.1ah – Mac-in-Mac
  • Design and implementation of 802.1ag (CFM) functionality for the data plane
  • Provide well defined API’s for configuration
  • Implementation of the CFM control plane to detect faults and provide protection switching
  • Developed data plane for the NP

Technology

  • Decades of combined experience in L2 technologies, specifically Ethernet
  • Core Team actively following the IEEE and ITU-T standards bodies on developments in PBT & Carrier Ethernet
  • Competency in working with various Network Processors
  • Technical expertise in RSVP for MPLS, OSPF for IPv4
  • Hands on expertise in ZebOS control plane stack

The Benefit

  • Effectively able to complete the work ahead of schedule enabling the customer to launch his product successfully on time
  • Our IP/MPLS expertise enabled us to contribute to the product requirements & architecture