RAD’s ETX-202 E-NTU Allows Service Providers to Use Ethernet as the Access Technology for Packet and Legacy Networks

RAD Data Communications has introduced version 2.00 of the ETX-202 Ethernet network termination unit (E-NTU).

 

The ETX-202 carries Ethernet traffic over the fiber Local Loop, from the customer premises to the network’s edge. This allows the service provider to use low cost Ethernet as the access technology, not only for packet-switched networks such as Ethernet and IP/MPLS, but also for legacy backbones such as ATM and SDH / SONET where the edge device has an Ethernet tributary access port.

 

A customer located equipment (CLE) device, the ETX-202 is owned and operated by the service provider and installed at the customer premises. It is also a Network Interfacing Device (NID), marking an intelligent demarcation between the user and operator networks. This allows the operator to maintain a distinct separation of traffic from different customers and offer a large range of differentiated Ethernet services to the customer, such as interoffice LAN connectivity, Internet access and virtual private networks (VPNs). This approach extends the service provider’s reach over fiber while facilitating management of differentiated services up to the customer premises.

The ETX-202 can remotely provision different services to the customer and assign different maximum traffic rates and different traffic prioritization schemes. The various user services can be mapped according to several parameters, including ingress port number, VLAN priority ToS and DiffServ bits. Providing traffic prioritization right from the customer premises ensures end-to-end control. Thus, higher-level services receive higher priority, while the guaranteed level of service is assured during periods of congestion.

Using VLAN stacking (also known as double-tagging or Q-in-Q), the service provider can assign different service VLANs to different customers’ traffic, thereby guaranteeing separation between each customer’s traffic within the service provider network. Customers’ VLANs are then transported transparently, encapsulated by the service VLAN, allowing transparent LAN service (TLS).