[SatNews] Xiplink has announced that XipOS Software Version 4.0 will be generally available…
…to customers at the end of March. This major release includes substantial additions to XipLink’s high performance compression and caching algorithms, while including more tools for service providers to manage increasing bandwidth requirements on multiple wide-area networks. Some of the key features in Release 4.0 include:
- Byte caching at the network layer, allowing drastic bandwidth reductions up to 80 percent for repeating patterns found in content such as viral videos, common web pages, software updates and office documents. For customers with XipLink XA appliance cache models, compression dictionaries are maintained in the remote XipOS device. When the transmitting appliance recognizes one of the stored patterns, a reference token is transmitted thus reducing bandwidth capacity impact. The dictionaries are automatically built and maintained by the XA appliance in order to minimize operational impact. A major differentiator is XipLink’s use of byte caching at the network layer, allowing service providers to optimize TCP as well as UDP traffic classes while also avoiding the support complexity common to application layer accelerators. Byte Cache support in XipOS release 4.0 is ideally targeted at VSAT/TDMA shared sites as well as MSS Internet access users.
- Advanced Cellular Compression (ACC) features are announced with this release to assist Cellular Service Providers in controlling the explosion of voice and data traffic over satellite or wireless access connections. A new generation of IP ready cellular base stations are now deployed that efficiently process Abis and other signaling protocols over packet networks, thus making traditional circuit adaptation appliances obsolete. However, with the ACC feature option, XipLink appliances provide significant incremental data payload reductions as well as voice/data header compression benefits resulting in bandwidth savings exceeding 30 percent on packetized cellular traffic at a significantly lower capital cost versus adaptation appliances.
- Intelligent Link Balancing and Bonding gives service providers with multiple VSAT, MSS or Cellular Links the ability to spread multiple TCP sessions over two links to gain more effective capacity, to enable instantaneous cutover without session interruption and to allow policy-based decisions for bandwidth use. UDP traffic is also enhanced by allocation to the best possible link available. Additionally, XipLink’s link bonding feature allows a single TCP session, such as a video transmission, to combine the capacity of both links for efficient transmission. XipOS maintains proper packet order and timing requirements in this complex “packet balancing” arrangement. Some innovative use cases include high availability configurations, session persistent communications for communications on the move (COTM) networks, zoning compliance applications requiring two smaller terminals due to reflector size limits and shipping/install cost reduction by utilizing two lighter weight terminals to achieve desired capacity.
XipOS Release 4.0 is available to all customers on support programs at no additional charge and will ship with new appliances starting on March 29th. The release is backward compatible with currently shipping hardware as well as one previous hardware revision. Link Balancing is included as a standard feature, along with current Release 3.3 base features such as SCPS compliant TCP acceleration, X1/X2 streaming TCP compression and XipLink Real Time (XRT) features for UDP optimization. Byte cache features require remote cache models XA-500C, XA-2000C, XA-4000C or hub/aggregation models XA-10K and XA-30K. Advanced Cellular Compression (ACC) is an optional feature for “C” models or hub models only.
