Mid-band Ethernet and Fast Ethernet over bonded E1 or T1 NTUs

RAD’s RICi-4E1, RICi-4T1, RICi-8E1 and RICi-8T1 are network termination units (NTU), delivering mid-band and Fast Ethernet services over four or eight bonded E1 or T1 circuits. Employing Multi-Link PPP (MLPPP) bonding to create a scalable, virtual channel from individual E1/T1 circuits, these devices bridge the bandwidth gap between E1/T1 and E3/T3. RAD’s RICi-4E1, RICi-4T1, RICi-8E1 and RICi-8T1 NTUs support a large variety of applications, including transparent inter-LAN connectivity, direct Internet access and Ethernet private lines, as well as IP DSLAM, WiMAX and cellular backhaul.

 

Part of RAD’s EtherAccess® suite of Ethernet access solutions, RAD’s RICi NTUs are deployed in point-to-point or hub-and-spoke topologies, providing a complete, end-to-end solution for mid-band and Fast Ethernet services over legacy PDH/SDH/SONET backbones.

• Enable quick rollout of new Ethernet services over existing PDH/SDH/SONET infrastructure

• Reduce CapEx (capital expenditures) by providing cost-competitive alternative to complex routing equipment

• Extend carrier reach for out of footprint subscribers across TDM networks

• Support differentiated services, with user-defined, VLAN-based QoS

• Minimize service disruption and reduce operating costs with diagnostic tools for quick fault isolation and bi-directional fault propagation

RAD’s RICi-4E1, RICi-4T1, RICi-8E1, and RICi-8T1 state-of-the-art NTUs connect mid-band Ethernet and Fast Ethernet LANs over multiple E1 or T1 circuits. Employing Multi-Link PPP (MLPPP) bonding, the RICi-4E1 and RICi-4T1 NTUs support four unframed E1 or framed T1 circuits, while the RICi-8E1 and RICi-8T1 each support up to eight unframed E1 or framed T1 circuits. All devices feature four 10/100BaseT user ports. The RICi NTUs can be used in point-to-point applications, working opposite other RICi NTUs, or opposite the Egate-100 Gateway in a hub-and-spoke topology.

 

Part of RAD’s EtherAccess® suite of Ethernet access solutions, the RICi NTUs function as Ethernet to TDM converters, enabling mid-band Ethernet and Fast Ethernet inter-LAN connectivity over legacy PDH/SDH/SONET backbones. Other typical applications include service extension utilizing widely deployed IP DSLAMs, WiMAX, and cellular backhaul. The RICi NTUs simplify service management and control across wide area networks (WANs), by featuring advanced diagnostic and fault propagation attributes for quick isolation of network problems. This enables service providers and operators to minimize service disruptions and lower their operating expenditures (OpEx).

User-defined 802.1p, DSCP and per-port priority schemes, enable users to define different quality-of-service (QoS) levels and assign high priority to real-time applications such as voice and video. VLAN tagging, stacking and stripping capabilities enable transparent delivery of user traffic, keeping all user VLAN settings intact, as well as separation of user and management traffic. The devices can operate in VLAN-unaware or VLAN-aware modes, while their built-in Fast Ethernet bridge can be configured to either filter local traffic or transparently forward all received packets.

The RICi-4E1, RICi-4T1, RICi-8E1, and RICi-8T1 support remote loopbacks on the TDM physical layer, and ping and trace-route diagnostics for the IP layer. A bi-directional fault propagation mechanism notifies the local and remote equipment about faulty conditions and enables routers and switches on both ends of the link to divert traffic when errors are detected. In addition, variable maximum transmission unit (MTU) size and controllable transmit queues enable users to optimize delay versus throughput parameters, compensating for a differential delay of up to 50ms between traffic received on different circuits.

 

E1/T1 loops are immediately detected when they occur, avoiding the resulting Ethernet loops and Ethernet storms. The RICi-4E1/T1 and RICi-8E1/T1 units automatically recover when the TDM loop clears.

RAD’s RICi NTUs support in-band management via the E1/T1 ports, using SNMP, Telnet or Web-server applications. Out-of-band management can be performed via a dedicated FE user port, while local management is performed via an ASCII terminal. Management traffic and user Ethernet traffic are transported together on the same Ethernet flow, and separated by different VLANs.