Cisco Systems is introducing a major upgrade of its routing
software aimed at reducing the number of network failures.
The company said the network resiliency features that are being
built into the new release of its Internetwork Operating System
(IOS) software include protection to guard against the loss of any
data packets, the ability to circumvent failed devices and faster
rerouting sequences when network problems occur.
"It's a definite step forward in terms of resilience," said Joe
Fusco, product manager for private IP network services at data
network operator Infonet Services. "Right now, it's a matter of
making sure we feel it's ready for deployment, but the new features
certainly interest us."
Tim Smith, an analyst at research group Gartner, said the Cisco IOS
release "represents another step in the maturation" of IP. Surer
handling of data packets and consistent uptime are critical for
moving voice, video and storage data across corporate networks, he
said.
At the Networld + Interop conference in Las Vegas earlier this
month, Mike Volpi, a senior vice-president in Cisco's enterprise
group, said that a more resilient backbone would allow IP-based
networks to handle increased traffic and more complex kinds of
data.
Volpi said that storage installations run on IP would be boosted
significantly if networking technology can be made as robust and
reliable as Cisco believes it can be.
Cisco's IOS software can also work with hardware from other
vendors. However, "the most benefit from these capabilities will
still be felt when it's all Cisco working on the back end,"
Gartner's Smith said. "There's some standardisation that needs to
happen to make this a better fit for enterprises with heterogeneous
networks."
The first wave of resilience features will become available next
month, Cisco said. In the second half of the year, the company
plans to add a protocol that lets users operate a standby wide-area
network connection even when the primary link is in use, plus the
ability to rebuild encrypted virtual private network tunnels when a
primary router fails.
Smith said demand for such services is high, leaving Cisco with
little leeway for shipment errors. "There is absolutely no room in
the market for missed dates [or] for rolling out stuff that's not
rock-solid," he said.