"It's important to recognize what phase of innovation you need to be in," says Dennison, co-founder of the core router vendor and currently its vice president of architecture. In the core routing market, the days of radical new architecture introductions are past, he says. What matters most now are innovations in scalability, reliability, and the ability to quickly provision new services.
Avici, under Dennison's watch, has become an innovator in this arena, specifically with its patented Reliable Alternate Paths for IP Destinations (RAPID) technology, which uses algorithms to speed up recovery from node failures by using alternate paths across the network. Similar innovation from other vendors will help IP systems offer telephone network-like reliability, a must to support the SLAs that large customers require, he says.
"It's a lot different now than 1999, when it was just Cisco vs. Juniper," says Dennison. He says to survive, router vendors must also innovate in the areas of fast provisioning, allowing service providers to quickly turn services on or off to a customer site.
"There are two things we are seeing in all our new RFPs," says Dennison. "One is a demand for scalability and the ability to rapidly add capacity [to a router]. The second is reliability. Any core router now needs to have the same reliability as a class-4 or class-5 switch."
According to Dennison, the main driving force behind core routing innovation these days are the services offered by telecom providers and ISPs. New applications such as network-based VPNs and the emergence of VoIP will drive the need for innovation that's less about flash and more about cash--as in saving money for service providers while giving end users a feature that can help them run their businesses more efficiently.
Discover the benefits of scalable backbone and network services for application and cloud providers.
Network automation is gaining momentum. Here's how you can drive this powerful technology to its full potential.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
