Cisco enhances QoS for CoS

While Cisco touts the reliability of its software, the company continues to enhance it as well.

Cisco last week announced integrated IP-ATM class-of-service (CoS) capabilities in the latest releases of its IOS software. This allows users to differentiate quality of service across multiple network infrastructures, Cisco says.

IP-ATM CoS ensures that traffic priority levels are consistent across IP and ATM networks. The ability to classify various types of traffic over multiple networks is a first, Cisco claims. IP-ATM CoS also permits a phased deployment of Tag Switching and Multi-protocol Label Switching, technologies for steering traffic on an IP/ATM network.

The IP-ATM CoS feature supports existing wide-area ATM network infrastructures. It is available now for the Cisco 7500 series routers.

Cisco also announced it will license its Cisco IOS Web Cache Communication Protocol (WCCP) specification to other cache vendors. WCCP was initially developed to foster interoperability between Cisco's Cache Engine and its routers. Licensing the protocol will allow multiple vendors' devices to redirect packets from Cisco routers to cache engines, Cisco says. Inktomi and Network Appliance are the first vendors to license the WCCP protocol.

Cache engines are designed to conserve WAN bandwidth and improve network response time by saving Web content in cache memory and eliminating repeat transmissions of redundant Web content. By licensing this protocol - which Cisco does not usually do without licensing its IOS software suite - Cisco can further entrench its routers into the Internet core and stave off incursions from high-speed router start-ups such as Juniper Networks.

Demonstrating its presence in the Internet market, Cisco last week also announced that it has sold 1,000 of its 12000 series Gigabit Switch Routers. The GSRs are prevalent among ISPs, such as Qwest and Sprint.

- Jim Duffy