Avici Systems this week unveiled software designed to reduce the amount of time its routers take to recover from a network disruption.

The software feature is called Reliable Alternate Paths for Internet Destinations (RAPID) and it is included in Avici's IPriori 6.0 routing code. RAPID is intended to improve the convergence times of networks built with its Internet routers.

Routers can take tens of seconds to recover and route traffic around network disruptions, during which time data and service connections are lost, Avici says.  By deploying RAPID, carriers can reduce that time to seconds, which enhances network reliability and stability, the company claims. 

RAPID also enables carriers to offer higher margin "premium" IP services and better support real-time applications such as voice and video, Avici says. The technology can also help carriers reduce operational costs by minimizing service disruptions and the associated customer service and maintenance activities, the company says.
 
Avici also announced an incentive program to entice carriers to migrate from current best-effort routers to RAPID-enabled Avici routers. Avici says it is offering a trade-in allowance for "legacy" core routing equipment as a credit towards the purchase of an Avici TSR, SSR, or QSR routers.

The legacy routers Avici is targeting are Cisco's 12000 series and Juniper's M-40, M-160 and T-series products.

IPriori 6.0 with RAPID is available now.