Multiservice Switch
Encyclopedia
Multiservice Switch or MSS is originally a Nortel
line of routers, historically called Passport, designed for carrier core and edge routing. They run the Passport Carrier Release
operating system. The MSS has a significant installed base, with over 40,000 switches sold.
As of 27th September, 2010, this product line was sold to Ericsson
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9188319/Ericsson_to_buy_Nortel_data_business_for_65_million http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/press/releases/2010/09/1446864.
The Nortel MSS products have been rebranded to Ericsson PPX. You can find the Ericsson product pages at the following link.
http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/products/multiservice-switches?nav=fgb_101_504
A shelf can have up to 2 CPs (1 master, 1 hot spare) and 14 FPs (including hot spares).
The MSS has historically gone through two generations of Fabric Control Processors, starting with the i960 initially, and later moving to PowerPC
.
offers line cards that provide Packet over SONET and ATM
at OC3 through OC192 speeds (depending on the fabric capacity). As well, Frame Relay and other historical TDM interfaces can be purchased. More recently, Ethernet
has become a focus for these switches, and 10/100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T media types have been supported (again depending on the fabric capacity).
's (through acquisition) UMTS solutions. These switches run enhanced versions of Nortel's Passport Carrier Release
software, but effectively are Multiservice Switches.
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
line of routers, historically called Passport, designed for carrier core and edge routing. They run the Passport Carrier Release
Passport Carrier Release
Passport Carrier Release is a version of the Passport Switch software designed to run in telecommunications carrier environments. It was formerly developed by Nortel...
operating system. The MSS has a significant installed base, with over 40,000 switches sold.
As of 27th September, 2010, this product line was sold to Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9188319/Ericsson_to_buy_Nortel_data_business_for_65_million http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/press/releases/2010/09/1446864.
The Nortel MSS products have been rebranded to Ericsson PPX. You can find the Ericsson product pages at the following link.
http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/products/multiservice-switches?nav=fgb_101_504
Features
Some core features of the Multiservice Switch series are:- MPLSMplsMPLS or Mpls can refer to:* Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States* Multiprotocol Label Switching, a data-carrying mechanism in computer networking...
with BGP VPNs - RFC2764 VPNs
- SONETSonetSonet may refer to:* Sonet Records, European record label* Synchronous optical networking * Saab Sonett...
/ATMAsynchronous Transfer ModeAsynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
, Frame RelayFrame relayFrame Relay is a standardized wide area network technology that specifies the physical and logical link layers of digital telecommunications channels using a packet switching methodology...
and EthernetEthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
Media Support - IPv4IPv4Internet Protocol version 4 is the fourth revision in the development of the Internet Protocol and the first version of the protocol to be widely deployed. Together with IPv6, it is at the core of standards-based internetworking methods of the Internet...
Routing (layer 3) - Layer 3 Traffic Management
Architecture
The Multiservice switches are made up of a shelf of 16 cards. There are two key types of cards to consider:- the Control Processor or CP is the switch fabric processor: it controls shelf functionality, as well as controls routing as well as manages the provisioning interface;
- the Function Processor or FP is in essence a line card, but there is processing logic and queue logic on the card. This allows for packets to be directly manipulated on the FP, decreasing the load on the CP.
A shelf can have up to 2 CPs (1 master, 1 hot spare) and 14 FPs (including hot spares).
The MSS has historically gone through two generations of Fabric Control Processors, starting with the i960 initially, and later moving to PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
.
Models
The Multiservice Switch line is divided into several different models. This division is both historical and technical.MSS 15000/20000
The top of the line switch with a backplane capable of in excess of 50 Gbit/s of data transfer. This is the latest revision to the MSS line.MSS 6400
One of the original Passport switches, the MSS 6400 has a significant historical installed base. Based on a rudundant dual 800 Mbit/s backplane. The MSS 6400 had several different configurations available, the three slot 6420, the five slot 6440, and the 16 slot 6480.MSS 7400
Initially running on the same hardware as the MSS 6400, the MSS 7400 uses Passport Carrier Release software only. The MSS 7400 range includes the three-slot 7420 (discontinued), the five-slot 7440, eight-slot 7460, and 16-slot 7480.MSS 9400
The 16-slot MSS 9480 moves away from the dual shared 800Mbit/s backplanes found in the 6400/7400 series of products. The 9480 backplane is switched, providing a dedicated dual bus to each line card. Most current 7400 line cards work in the 9480 chassis.Supported Media Types
There are a number of media types supported by the Multiservice Switch, both modern and historical. For example, NortelNortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
offers line cards that provide Packet over SONET and ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
at OC3 through OC192 speeds (depending on the fabric capacity). As well, Frame Relay and other historical TDM interfaces can be purchased. More recently, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
has become a focus for these switches, and 10/100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T media types have been supported (again depending on the fabric capacity).
Other uses
The MSS chassis and architecture is an integral part of Nortel's CDMA and Alcatel-LucentAlcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
's (through acquisition) UMTS solutions. These switches run enhanced versions of Nortel's Passport Carrier Release
Passport Carrier Release
Passport Carrier Release is a version of the Passport Switch software designed to run in telecommunications carrier environments. It was formerly developed by Nortel...
software, but effectively are Multiservice Switches.