Extreme embraces PBT

Extreme Networks this week added PBT capabilities to its BlackDiamond 12800 series of switches.

PBT, or Provider Backbone Transport, is a technology championed by Nortel that is designed to bring connection-oriented, deterministic qualities to carrier-grade Ethernet networks. Also known by the catchy name Provider Backbone Bridging - Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE), the technology has met with some competition on the MPLS front. Extreme was careful to position its offering to carriers as fitting in with an MPLS core.

PBB-TE is currently being standardized by the IEEE 802.1Qay task force. The group recently released Draft 2.0 of the specification. Proponents like Extreme says PBB-TE offers carriers lower costs and higher resiliency, and carriers are at least trying out the technology in growing numbers.

Extreme introduced new hardware, new software and a new partnership with Soapstone Networks to support the effort.

Extreme implemented the technology in both an edge switch and a core switch, via new hardware modules. In the core switch, the MSM-6R management module is designed for scalability for Virtual Private LAN Service inter-connections. In the edge switch, the XM-2HR interface module combines a 10-Gigabit Ethernet port with 10 ports of Gigabit Ethernet.

Software in Extreme's ExtremeXOS 12.1 network operating system supports the PBT functionality, and it also has a PBB-TE-to-VPLS gateway to connect PBB-TE tunnels to a VPLS core network, Extreme says. Extreme brought Soapstone in to provide external control plane software. The software helps providers provision, monitor, optimize and plan their networks.