MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. - NextHop Technologies, a developer of network routing software, rolled out a new version of its product last week that the company says is designed to enhance network and device management, and reliability.

The company's GateD 10.0 routing code includes an XML API that lets users build customized command-line or Web interfaces and provide a readily accessible script interface, NextHop says. It also lets network administrators lower operational costs and increase the security of managing any network device using GateD 10.0 software, the company says.

For reliability, GateD 10.0 supports recent IETF specifications for graceful, or hitless, restarts. GateD 10.0 now lets a network device continue to forward packets while the routing software is being restarted.

These restarts might be triggered by a hardware failure or be part of a planned process for updating or reconfiguring the software. Graceful-restart capabilities, which are extensions of the three most widely used routing protocols, provide a higher level of network equipment, and public and private network availability and reliability, NextHop says.

A number of vendors have announced and rolled out routing resiliency features such as graceful restart over the past year. Juniper was first, followed by Alcatel, Cisco and Avici Systems. In addition to the XML API and graceful-restart features, GateD 10.0 software includes enhancements to algorithms in the Open Shortest Path First and Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System protocols to allow for better availability and speed of calculation.

GateD 10.0 is aimed at multiple markets, including the service provider core and edge, and security appliance markets. It is available now. Pricing was not disclosed.