What's New: ZebOS 7.9
ZebOS® 7.9, the latest version from IP Infusion, helps networking OEMs worldwide deliver customized and differentiated solutions to telecom as well as public and private cloud service providers with lower costs and faster time-to-market. ZebOS 7.9 achieves this through a scalable, robust, and standards-based Layer 2 and Layer 3 carrier-class routing and switching software solution with additional supported features for TRILL, DCB extensions, MPLS-TP, MEF support, IEEE 1588v2 support, and L3 routing enhancements.

The de facto standard in software-based networking, ZebOS 7.9 allows OEMs to rapidly add state-of-the-art networking capabilities to their new and existing lines of communication products. The modular, platform-independent architecture of ZebOS enables OEMs to pick from among an extensive array of protocols and solutions to add to their equipment.

ZebOS Network Platform supports industry-standard and best-of-breed operating systems as well as control plane and data plane processors. ZebOS has been architected to take advantage of separate data plane processors (NPUs and ASICs) to support highly modular and scalable communications equipment. ZebOS is targeted at vendors building or enhancing products for the data center networking, mobile backhaul, and Carrier Ethernet markets.

ZebOS Network Platform Architecture
ZebOS 7.9 adds new functionality to enable our customers to take advantage of the growing business opportunities in data center, mobile backhaul, and Carrier Ethernet.

Key New Features

• Data Center Networking Enhancements
  • IETF TRILL to optimize and load balance over-subscribed data center switches and network paths
  • Data Center Bridging standards to facilitate migration to Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
  • Priority-based Flow Control (IEEE 802.1Qbb)
  • Enhanced Transmission Selection (IEEE 802.1Qaz)
• Carrier Class Networking Enhancements
  • MEF specifications compliance (MEF 13, 19, 20, 22)
  • IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) distributed timing and synchronization
  • Pseudowire support for ATM/HDLC emulation
  • MPLS-TP to support highly scalable packet infrastructure
• Layer 3 Routing Enhancements
  • Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) enhancements
  • Improved Policy Based Routing (PBR)
  • Improved scaling and reliability of IS-IS
  • Multicast enhancements

Benefits of ZebOS 7.9

• Highly scalable architecture evolved from seven generations of ZebOS software provides rich features, performance, scalability and future-proofed solutions.
• Mature and robust IPV4, IPV6 and L2 software offerings based on over ten years of product advancement.
• State-of-the-art protocol software based on current standardizations at IETF, IEEE, and MEF, now offering TRILL, MPLS-TP, and other enhancements for Carrier Ethernet, mobile backhaul, and data center optimization.
• Extensive offering that enable system designers to develop products in telecom, data, video and voice applications.
• Architecture optimized for performance that enables system developers to implement stacks without any performance penalties.
• Architecture designed for modularity, thus enabling systems designer to develop and validate systems in minimum time.
• Architecture optimized for portability, which enables customers to target operating systems and chip-sets quickly.

Modularity and Portability
Protocol modules can be independently licensed, installed and upgraded. This allows ZebOS to be deployed in smaller and lower-priced access equipment as well as highly-scalable core networking equipment. Each protocol module is built on the ZebOS Network Services module, the base module that simultaneously and independently communicates with every ZebOS routing and switching process. The ZebOS NSM communicates through the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and Platform Abstraction Layer (PAL) to the underlying operating system or network processor for forwarding table updates.

Routing Protocols
IPv4 and IPv6
IP Infusion is the leading provider of integrated IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols. ZebOS Network Platform supports the most recent IETF and IEEE drafts and specifications for both IPv4 and IPv6 versions of OSPF, BGP, IS-IS and RIP. In addition to standard routing protocols, ZebOS offers Virtual Routing (VR) support, Traffic Engineering (TE) extensions and Constrained Shortest Path First (CSPF) topology support for OSPFv2, OSPFv3, IS-IS protocol modules and TCP-IP modules.

ZebOS 7.9 Network Platform Architecture Diagram

Data Center Networking
ZebOS 7.9 implements the data center bridging extensions to accelerate the transition from Fibre Channel to FCoE in Storage Area Networks (SANs). IP Infusion is also delivering TRILL (Transparent Interconnect of Lots of Links), which eliminates the problems associated with using the Spanning Tree Protocol in a data center network. TRILL enables optimization and load balancing of over-subscribed data center switches and network paths.

Mobile Backhaul
ZebOS 7.9 provides the Mobile Backhaul Implementation Agreement for Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)—MBH IA. These capabilities supports a wide-range of implementation options with the goal of supporting more cost effective delivery of mobile services by moving from an entirely legacy RAN network to Ethernet. Moreover, ZebOS helps equipment providers accelerate the deployment of evolved 4G (Ethernet-based) voice, video and data services by supporting a variety of circuit emulation methods, including pseudo-wire support for ATM/HDLC emulation. With the addition of IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) support, network equipment providers can deliver sub-microsecond clock accuracy.

Advanced Layer 2, Carrier Ethernet, and VLAN Switching
The ZebOS Layer 2 and VLAN switching modules are a family of Carrier Ethernet, Ethernet bridging, spanning tree, multicast and VLAN software packages that provide advanced Layer 2 functionality for vendors building routing or switching equipment. Each Layer 2 protocol module leverages the CLI and kernel management of the ZebOS NSM. ZebOS Layer 2 modules are complementary to our Layer 3 routing protocol software solutions and are built on a common architecture. The Layer 2 family includes a full set of solutions for Carrier Ethernet, Ethernet OAM, and Linear and Ring Protection.

MPLS, Traffic Engineering and VPN Support
The ZebOS Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) modules are a complete solution for the rapid integration of MPLS functionality into the enterprise for provider access, edge and core communications equipment. ZebOS supports both MPLS Traffic Engineering (TE) and MPLS VPN (Virtual Private Network) capabilities, and extensions to support DiffServ and DiffServ- TE. The ZebOS MPLS switching modules which support Traffic engineering extensions use RSVP-TE and DiffServ dynamic signaling protocols to communicate with the ZebOS MPLS forwarder or a third-party MPLS forwarder.

Multicast
ZebOS Network Platform includes support for both IPv4 and IPv6 multicast protocol modules. This includes support for Protocol Independent Multicast-Sparse Mode (PIM-SM and PIM-SMv6) Protocol Independent Multicast-Dense Mode (PIM-DM) and Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP) modules.

Virtual Routing
Virtual Routing (VR) logically subdivides a physical router into multiple virtual routers and allows each virtual router to execute separate instances of the routing protocol software and network management software (for example, SNMP or the CLI). Each virtual router can be independently monitored and managed by the user. ZebOS Network Platform offers optional VR for both IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocol modules.

Integration Platforms
ZebOS Network Platform contains an advanced Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and Platform Abstraction Layer (PAL) interfaces which isolate all of the hardware platform-specific interaction into a compact set of well-defined function calls for NSM. This allows ZebOS protocol modules and control plane applications to be totally independent of the hardware platform and the OS while supporting easy and rapid integration with any data plane solution. These include popular network processors like the Intel® IXP425 and IXP2400, and silicon switching solutions like the Broadcom StrataSwitch and StrataXGS and Marvell Prestera series.

Management and Logging Plus Basic Access and Tunneling Protocols
In order to provide its customers with ease of management, configuration, and operation, IP Infusion has developed various management interfaces.

The ZebOS Integrated Management Interface (IMI) and IMI Shell (IMISH) modules provide complete, unified management for the ZebOS NSM and the individual ZebOS routing protocols.

Professional Services
IP Infusion offers a full range of professional services to help in the design, architecture, development, and testing of your networking equipment. Fully CMMI certified, the global professional services team can augment your development efforts and accelerate time to market.

Development, Documentation and Support
All ZebOS Network Platform modules are written in the portable ANSI C programming language. ZebOS Network Platform software is delivered with extensive documentation including: Command References, Developer, Installation and Configuration Guides. IP Infusion provides comprehensive technical support to customers who have purchased support and maintenance contracts for IP Infusion products, including the customers-only online support website, product updates and email support. The technical support staff consists of highly-skilled network engineers developing, supporting and operating advanced IP networks.

Additional Information
Individual protocol module data sheets are available that contain more details on features, benefits and requirements. For these or any other additional information, please or at 1-877-699-3267 (1-877-MY-ZEBOS). If you require global contact information, please go to the IP Infusion global contact page.