Lucent Technologies Introduces Programmable Network Processor On a Chip for High-Bandwidth Access to ATM Networks.

ALLENTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1999--

Lucent Technologies' (NYSE: LU) Microelectronics Group, the world's leading communications semiconductor business, today announced a network processor integrated circuit (IC) that provides high-bandwidth access to asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, making services such as high-speed Internet access more economical for home and business computer users.

Network processors are part of an emerging class of programmable ICs based on system-on-a-chip technology that perform communications-specific functions more efficiently than general-purpose processors.

Called an ATM port controller (APC), the new device takes individual streams of data from access applications such as digital subscriber lines (DSL) and combines them onto high-bandwidth network trunks, performing several functions previously done only in high-end core ATM network switches. The APC monitors the incoming data streams for voice and video applications and ensures they are processed and prioritized to support the quality-of-service (QoS) levels expected by the business and residential customers. Its programmability permits in-service field upgrades and the ability to support new services as they become available.

By moving intelligence to the edge of the network, the APC promotes more efficient network design and utilization, thereby lowering system and end-user costs.

"No other chip in the market has the flexibility and functionality of the APC," said Chuck Tato, marketing manager for Lucent's Microelectronics Group. "Service providers are faced with squeezing as many ports as possible within the same amount of space and dramatically increasing the service features offered, while simultaneously reducing system and operating costs. The increased port density, improved QoS management, efficient buffer management, and many added features supported by the APC offer a cost-effective system-on-a-chip solution to this challenge across a variety of system platforms."

Available now in sample quantities, the APC replaces several standard chips as well as complex hardwired custom ICs that used to be required for ATM implementation. It is targeted for use in digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs) that support ADSL, HDSL, G.Lite and other access technologies. It can also be used in broadband digital loop carriers (DLCs), wide area network (WAN) multi-service edge and core switches as well as wireless base transceiver stations and base station controllers for 2.5 and 3G systems.

Developed in partnership with Bell Labs, the APC is the newest member of Lucent's ATM device family named the ATLANTA(TM) chip set. These devices provide a cost-effective, non-blocking ATM switch architecture with scalable fabrics that accommodate rates from 622 megabits per second (Mbps) to hundreds of gigabits per second (Gbps).

The hierarchical scheduling features of the APC allow multiplexing of many traffic streams of various types while simultaneously meeting QoS guarantees for all connections. Constant bit-rate (CBR) traffic is scheduled in such a way that even under heavy switch loading conditions, cell delay and jitter for each connection are minimized. This feature allows service providers to easily offer services such as circuit emulation using the same core technology they use for all their other data services, thus reducing costs with a single backbone network.

The real-time variable bit-rate (rt-VBR) class of service requires the switch to provide a minimum delay guarantee to a large group of connections while simultaneously meeting their sustained and peak cell-rate demands. The novel algorithms and implementations in the APC make this possible for any number of the 64,000 connections supported. This feature allows service providers to add video and voice services efficiently to their ATM networks as they prepare for the next generation of broadband networking requirements.

Non-real-time service classes such as nrt-VBR, available bit rate (ABR) and unspecified bit rate (UBR) are serviced through an excess bandwidth scheduler, which guarantees that each class and connection within a class receives its fair share of bandwidth. This scheduler is augmented by bandwidth provided to all the service classes from the guaranteed traffic scheduler, which maintains the minimum guaranteed cell rate necessary for advanced services such as explicit-rate ABR.

The APC also uses patented Bell Labs algorithms to provide advanced buffer management. These algorithms enable the APC to achieve significantly lower cell loss using the same number of cell buffers as conventional implementations, further reducing system costs and improving performance. Older implementations which rely primarily on static thresholding for buffer management cannot come close to the performance achieved using dynamic thresholding. With static thresholding, many buffers lie idle while cells are unnecessarily dropped due to perceived congestion on the line card. Dynamic thresholding allows the switch to take advantage of these unused buffers and significantly improve the QoS for the user. Further, these concepts are applied on a class-by-class and port-by-port basis to allow the network administrator to fine-tune the buffer allocations to give specific customer guarantees and isolation from other network congestion.

The chip can also be used with other Lucent devices to reduce board-space requirements and shorten design cycles. For example, the APC combined with the recently announced multi-protocol, multi-data-rate TDAT04622 SONET framing and termination device provides a complete solution for a 4-port 155Mbps ATM Switch. Alternatively, the two devices can be configured to provide a 622 Mbps interface in larger system configurations enabled by the ATLANTA device family. Samples of the APC chip, manufactured using Bell Labs 0.25-micron complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, are available now, with volume production expected by the end of this year. The chip is priced at US$450 in quantities of 1000.

For more product information, customers in the U.S. may call the Microelectronics Group Customer Response Center at 1-800-372-2447, Dept. N04. Customers in Canada may call 1-800-553-2448, Dept. N04. Written inquiries may be faxed to 1-610-712-4106 or sent to Lucent Technologies, Room 30L-15P-BA, 555 Union Boulevard, Allentown, Pa. 18103 USA. Product information is also available on the web at http://www.lucent.com/micro/netcom.

Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Laboratories is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit its web site at http://www.lucent.com.

Lucent's Microelectronics Group designs and manufactures integrated circuits and optoelectronic components for the computer and communications industries. More information about the Microelectronics Group is available from its web site at http://www.lucent.com/micro.

ATLANTA is a trade mark of Lucent Technologies.