3/7/2005 -- Late last month, Cisco Systems announced a new IOS software release that introduces several improvements to its IP/MPLS feature stack. These include Inter-Autonomous System (AS) Multicast VPN, Inter-AS Traffic Engineering, Interprovider MPLS VPN over IP, MPLS VPN Inter-AS/Carrier Supporting Carrier Load Balancing, and Underprovided Network Management Services.

All of these capabilities are supported in IOS Software release 12.0(29)S and 12.0(30)S, which are available now.

Although Cisco’s announcement was accompanied by little in the way of pomp and circumstance, analysts say the company’s improvements to its IP/MPLS feature stack were long overdue. Collectively, these enhancements are known as “Interprovider” capabilities, because they purport to support interoperability between (compatible) service providers. Cisco’s implementation of the Interprovider capabilities is based on a proposed IETF standard.

“It needs to show its commitment and progress towards service provider network interoperability even if primarily with Cisco’s own equipment,” writes Jeff Ogle, a principal analyst for carrier infrastructure with consultancy Current Analysis Inc. “This approach is Cisco’s counter to Juniper Networks’ Infranet Initiative and Cisco needs to show it is making progress on this important issue.”

Given Cisco’s prominence in the carrier space, Ogle says, the announcement is welcome news to service providers, too. “[T]his release helps to solve a real problem that will give the carriers and service providers the tools needed to offer end-to-end premium network services with known SLAs,” he says.

According to Ogle, carriers -- especially global and multinational customers -- are hungry for interoperability solutions, largely because so few carriers have historically addressed this requirement. “In the new IP world, the need for this level of inter-provider interoperability is being driven by user demand and serves as a level of service differentiation for those carriers and service providers that can offer such capabilities,” he points out.

Even so, there’s no consensus about how best to proceed. In fact, there’s a split between Cisco -- which backs an IETF-based approach -- and Juniper Networks, which supports its own Infranet Initiative. As far as Ogle is concerned, both sides are missing the point. “While both do a good job of solving the technical issues associated with interconnecting two service provider networks, the carriers and service providers themselves really need to take it to the next level and begin establishing the interconnect agreements that will help to define the business relationship between the two or multiple networks,” he suggests.

Nevertheless, he says, it’s nice to see Cisco taking a leadership position to push for interoperable inter-carrier standards. “Cisco is continuing to show and execute on its leadership position by releasing its version and implementation of Interprovider capabilities ahead of being standardized by the IETF,” he writes. “Cisco shops can now begin the next level of internal operational steps required to offer such a service and can now begin selecting their partners and working on the agreements.” -Stephen Swoyer