Through its disaggregated network design, IP Infusion’s OcNOS® platform allows network architects to design and build their intricately catered systems from the ground up. Its modularity allows each system component to be handpicked and selected with care. No longer do devices need to be tied to a specific vendors’ software. Architects are handed the freedom to choose the most efficient and cost-effective way to construct their network.
IP Infusion has partnered with Ceragon to innovate once-formidable cell site routers to deliver the industry’s first radio-aware disaggregated routing platform.
Through this partnership, Ceragon has just launched its groundbreaking IP-50FX disaggregated cell site gateway (DCSG), the first custom OcNOS® environment to support disaggregated radio-aware data control mechanisms.
Why OcNOS® for Radio-Aware Open Networking Technology
One of the most significant advantages of IP Infusion’s OcNOS® is its ability to couple together with a host of the most leading-edge technologies at an operator’s discretion without having to worry about software incompatibility. As such, this makes OcNOS® the ideal network operating system for the deployment of an industry-disrupting solution like Ceragon’s Radio-Aware Open Networking (RAON) technology.
Wireless network components are objectively more finicky than their wired counterparts. Because of the sheer number of variables within the networks that can shift at any given time, a wireless network’s capacity is less predictable and is constantly in flux.
Many networks lack a way to enable a line of dialogue between their wired and wireless portions, causing incredibly inefficient data flow that doesn’t ebb and flow alongside its ever-changing wireless capacity. This negatively impacts device performance and increases dropped traffic, which leads to loss of money, time and resources.
Concepts such as Radio-Aware Routing (RAR) and Microwave Adaptive Bandwidth (MAB) have emerged to combat these issues but are often subject to vendor lock-in. As such, they are incompatible with legacy networks without sinking an astronomical cost into a ground-up network redesign. Although both these technologies have been available for years, they have yet to be widely adopted due to this glaring issue and, as a result, have become stagnant in their lack of any innovation.
That’s why RAON is such a groundbreaking development for network systems and design. The integration of IP Infusion’s OcNOS with Ceragon’s RAON solution enables network architects to take drastic leaps in efficiency and productivity.
The combined solution delivers the following four vital components:
- Radio-aware traffic flow control: First and foremost, this technology is capable of radio-aware traffic flow control that responds to the changing capacity of the wireless portions of the network. It also quickly adjusts incoming traffic to minimize packet and frame loss.
- Timing protocols: Ceragon has recognized the importance of immaculate timing in the software’s responsiveness. As mobile and radio networks have evolved over the years from LTE up to 5G, the requirements of the devices have become more and more delicate. Slight differences in the synchronization between devices have much more drastic impacts on performance than in the past. For this reason, RAON, and with it the IP-50FX, fully supports established timing protocols such as SyncE and IEEE 1588-TC/BC.
- Centralized control system: To prevent overcomplicating the management of the network, this service opts for a centralized control system rather than separate management for each node. Not only does this simplify usability, but it also allows for much more seamless integration into previously constructed networks.
- Optimal link between wired and wireless: Lastly, RAON combines this with Layer-1 carrier bonding to ensure an optimal link between the wired and wireless portions of the network. This mechanism dynamically distributes frames and packets between units rather than distributing the traffic at a fixed rate. Coupled with the centralized control, the product guarantees that far less traffic will be dropped from being sent to a link already at capacity.
There’s More: IP-50FX Delivers a Unique DCSG With Three Cell Site Functions
By integrating IP Infusion’s OcNOS® with Ceragon’s TIP-compliant Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway hardware and Ceragon’s RAON software, the innovative IP-50FX solution delivers a DCSG that rolls two key cell site functions into one package: an open cell site gateway/router (CSG/CSR, Layer 3) and a radio indoor unit (IDU). This industry-disrupting platform not only provides cost-effective agility and scalability to architects but also paves the way towards truly open networking.
With IP-50FX, customers can now integrate these newfound CSR capabilities seamlessly into their networks at a far higher quality than those stagnant alternatives that have been offered in the past by large vendors. Adopting the disaggregated approach at the cell site level allows operators and private networks to densify their networks and run them more cost-effectively. They also now have the freedom to shop around for the “best-in-class” components for their specific network and no longer need to worry about unnecessary fees or improperly allocated resources. Furthermore, both OcNOS® and IP-50FX deliver a diverse range of networking use cases, enabling network architects to create innovative services and create new revenue streams.
Read more about the IP Infusion and Ceragon partnership and the IP-50FX DCSG.