F5 Networks is adding support for certain protocols to its Big-IP Local Traffic Manager, so it can better fit into carrier networks.

By adding support for SIP, RTP and SCTP to the Big-IP LTM software, F5’s gear fits into the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) standards that carriers are adopting more and more as a general architecture for their networks.

IMS calls for making carrier infrastructure modular, with the parts and the interfaces between the parts standard. So in theory a particular category of equipment that meets these standards can fit into any network that adheres to IMS.

SIP, RTP and SCTP are all important protocols to service providers as they migrate to IP networks. SIP is an IP application-layer signaling protocol. RTP is the protocol used to format real-time applications, such as voice and video. SCTP is a signaling-transport protocol.

F5 says service providers can use Big-IP in their networks in ways that are similar to how enterprises use the devices in corporate networks. For example, they could load balance devices, such as soft switches and session border controllers -- devices that help sort out IP addresses for traffic moving between IP networks with different IP numbering schemes. Big-IP LTMs also could load-balance to compression servers used heavily by servers carriers, making more efficient use of the servers’ capacity.

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