The IGX supports a wide range of narrowband and broadband interfaces for both enterprise networks and service provider networks. In a multiservice environment, the IGX allows you to easily and cost-effectively launch new services and expand system capacity to meet growing demands. Similarly, as technologies evolve and WAN bandwidth increases, the IGX provides you with seamless growth and migration.

The IGX and BPX Service Node share many of the same core capabilities and advanced networking features including the following:

• OptiClass class-of-service features

• ForeSight traffic management and congestion avoidance

• FairShare per-virtual-circuit queuing and rate scheduling

• AutoRoute connection management

The IGX lets you migrate from narrowband speed to broadband ATM on the same platform, providing unmatched WAN investment protection.

• 100 percent component redundancy

• Extensive background diagnostics

• "Hot" card swapping

• Rapid power failure recovery

• Background software download

• Firmware, not hardware, upgrades via remote download

• Class B EMI certified enclosures

• Hard and soft alarm interfaces, including "call home" auto-dial modem features

• Minimum internal cabling

• Integrated grounding wrist straps

All switches use a midplane design with front cards performing processing functions and back cards providing interfacing and physical connectivity. This allows most system maintenance to be performed at the front cards, without disconnecting interface cables.

Voice activity detection uses the latest digital signal processing techniques to distinguish between silence and speech on a voice connection. Voice activity detection only generates traffic (cells) onto the network during speech, so typically achieves at least a two-to-one savings. This is possible because most voice conversations are 60 percent silence; one person listens while the other person speaks, and speakers usually pause between sentences. Together, ADPCM/LD-CELP and voice activity detection over ATM achieve up to eight-to-one savings over uncompressed voice traffic.

• Standard voice switching

Channelized voice modules (CVMs) and universal voice modules (UVMs) are available for the IGX with E1, T1, or J1 interfaces. Voice activity detection, which provides silence suppression, is also standard on these interfaces. Optional call switching is available. CVM provides 32K, 24K, and 16K ADPCM compression. UVM provides 32K, 24K ADPCM, and 16K LD-CELP compression.

The channelized voice module operates with either a T1 (BC-T1), E1 (BC-E1) or J1 (BC-J1) back card. This module can be used for voice traffic, data traffic, or a combination of both. It provides a-law to m-law conversion and voice compression capability, as well as channelized data (up to 8 DS-0 bundles). Echo cancellation is an optional feature.

The UVM can be used for voice traffic, data traffic, and a combination of both. For voice compression using ADPCM, the UVM can operate in either 24-channel mode (T1) or 30-channel mode (E1 and J1.) If the compression is LD-CELP, the UVM supports 16 channels, but can pass the remaining DS-0s on a T1, E1, or J1 line to another UVM for processing. The UVM provides 32 ms integral echo cancellation for all voice channels. With Release 8.5, the UVM supports channelized data (up to 8DS-0 bundles).

The UVM can terminate connections to another UVM or a CVM. Compatibility allows a mixed network of all voice modules, thus optimizing a customer's investment. The UVM back cards are the BC-UVI-2TIEC, BC-UVI-2EIEC, and BC-UVI-2JIEC.

The IGX includes options for external or internal clocking on a port-by-port basis. The "software break-out box" feature allows the Electronics Industries Association (EIA) control leads on any data port of any node in the network to be viewed and manipulated in real time from the StrataView Plus network management console.

The IGX provides for suppression of repetitive patterns like idle flag conditions in SDLC and HDLC protocols. Repetitive pattern suppression increases efficiency of data connections up to 128 kbps. This algorithm effectively compresses data by up to four times by removing repetitive patterns such as "7E" flags sent by devices when they have no new traffic. Repetitive patterns are reproduced at the far end of repetitive pattern suppression connections, so connected devices remain unaffected.

Circuit-switched data services include the low-speed data module (LDM), the high-speed data module (HDM), the channelized voice module (CVM), and the universal voice module (UVM).

• The LDM includes a programmable communications processor, up to eight data ports, support for EIA/TIA-232 ports, data ranges up to 19.2 kbps per port, asynchronous or synchronous data support, and a low-speed data interface back card for physical and electrical connection interface support.

• The HDM includes a programmable communications processor; up to four data ports; one to four high-speed data channels that support V.35, X.21, V.36, EIA/TIA-449, and EIA/TIA-422; synchronous data protocol support; speeds from 1.2 kbps to 1.344 Mbps on all ports; error link monitoring; and a synchronous data interface back card that provides direct connection to the HDM physical and electrical interface.

• The CVM includes a dual-purpose front card; termination of T1, E1, or J1 circuit line (communication line to CPE); circuit line use for voice or data traffic alone or a combination of voice and low-speed/high-speed data; channelized data input support including 8 DS-0 per bundle and 56/64 x n data rates; full T1/E1 support with TDM transport license; and DS-0(A) support.

• The UVM can be used for voice or data traffic alone or a combination of voice and high-speed data; channelized data input support including 8 DS-0s per bundle.

• Class-of-service support

Standards-compliant ATM services from IGX systems support high-performance CBR, VBR, and ABR connections with their associated classes of service. The IGX ATM interfaces use OptiClass class-of-service features to guarantee that the appropriate quality of service is maintained at all times.

• Seamless integration

All IGX ATM ports seamlessly integrate with IGX, BPX, and AXIS ports. You can easily provision connections across all the Cisco products to enable the best switching infrastructure for any environment. ATM connections can traverse both broadband and narrowband trunks. Integrated connections support traffic management and congestion control techniques and FairShare user firewalling.

• Fair, high performance

All IGX ATM port types support traffic management features. FairShare user firewalling with per-virtual-circuit queuing and rate scheduling for high performance and management of fairness among users is also supported.

• ATM line module

• Network trunk module (NTM)

The NTM coordinates the transmission of FastPackets across a trunk line to another Cisco node and offers cell-switched narrowband trunking with OptiClass COS features, low delay over narrowband trunks, extraction of clocking from the trunk, and trunk usage statistics collection.

The NTM works with the T1 interface card (BC-6271A-T1), E1 interface card (BC-6171A-E1), Y1 interface card (BC-550150-Y1), subrate interface card for unframed transmission services (BC-6083A-SR), and full or fractional service configurable back cards.

• Broadband ATM trunk module (BTM)

The BTM provides a broadband trunk interface enabling the IGX to use a standard ATM cell relay protocol over T3/E3 trunks and to support E3, T3, E2, and HSSI; trunk rates as low as one T1/E1 rate; migration up to T3/E3 rates in T1/E1 increments with minimal downtime for traffic rerouting; a BTM front card and either a BC-571110A-T3, BC571210A-E3, BC-571310A-E2, or BC-571410A-HSSI back card; full CCITT ATM compliance.

• ATM line module (ALM/B)

The ALM/B provides an ATM trunk and offers T3/E3 support, BC-UA1-1T3 or BC-UA1-1E3 back card usage, full CCITT ATM compliance, and alternative portside interface.

• Frame trunk module (FTM)

The FTM provides Frame device connection and includes a Frame back card with T1, E1, V.35 X 4, or X.21 X 4 interfaces; up to 512 kbps per Frame; and Frame Relay service compatibility.

The modular PCS hardware lets you tailor each IGX node for specific applications. Modules are available with V.24/V.28, V.11, or V.35 DCE and/or DTE interfaces. For applications requiring multiple types of interfaces, interface daughter boards can be mixed and matched on a per-interface basis. You can insert up to four PCS modules into a PCS shelf. Modules can be hot-swapped without affecting service to other ports on the shelf.

PCS ports offer the following features:

• Conformance to all ANSI T1.606/.607/.618 and CCITT I.122/Q.933 standards

• Full implementation of Local Management Interface (LMI)

• Enhancements incorporated in ANSI and ITU standards

• Integrated frame forwarding for efficient transport of SDLC- or HDLC-framed traffic over Frame Relay on all port types at speeds up to 384 kbps

AutoRoute end-to-end connection management software automatically routes and reroutes virtual connections over optimal paths through the network. It keeps traffic moving over the shortest paths while guaranteeing quality of service for each connection. AutoRoute automatically reroutes virtual circuits to alternate paths if a trunk or switch fails. AutoRoute also tracks resources designated to individual connections to prevent overloading of individual trunks, ensuring high levels of network reliability and availability. AutoRoute eliminates the need to manually manage virtual circuits and allocate bandwidth, reducing network operating costs.

The OptiClass class-of-service features offer enterprise network managers and service providers several classes of service that can be assigned to specific connections. With OptiClass, you can assign minimum bandwidth guarantees for each connection, ensuring that services are delivered with the appropriate quality of service required. Together with AutoRoute, OptiClass automatically ensures quality of service for each application, resulting in higher performance and throughput. With OptiClass, unused bandwidth on network trunks and ports is also made available to any connection that can use it. OptiClass also gives network managers the flexibility to add new services, enabling service providers to more quickly deploy new services.

ForeSight bandwidth optimization and congestion avoidance software continuously monitors trunk use to adjust bandwidth to all connections, proactively avoids queuing delays, and virtually eliminates cell loss. It enables up to 95 percent trunk utilization, compared with the 50-70 percent use experienced when open-loop mechanisms are used alone in non-ForeSight ATM and frame-switching systems.

This allows a service provider to deliver additional services, resell spare capacity, and scale the network without large additional capital investment. It permits enterprise network managers to significantly reduce networking costs while delivering greater network functionality and higher application performance. It ensures maximum bandwidth to all connections while proactively avoiding the possibility of queuing delays and cell discard. ForeSight is the industry's first implementation of the new rate-based traffic management specification defined by the ATM Forum Specification V.4.0, and the only such mechanism available for Frame Relay.

FairShare is a patented per-virtual-circuit queuing and rate scheduler. It allocates bandwidth fairly among network users by providing a virtual "firewall" between connections and service classes. Unlike a shared buffer scheme, per-virtual-circuit queuing prevents one misbehaving connection from affecting the performance of others.

StrataSphere network management provides the unique capabilities required for managing ATM WANs. StrataSphere distributes the logical management intelligence throughout the network through a set of building blocks, or modules. By distributing network management functionality, service management and process automation can be tightly integrated--simplifying management of even the most complex WANs and providing a comprehensive end-to-end management solution.