There is a white paper available on the Network Equipment Provider (NEP) section of Sun's web site titled, "Softswitch: Next-Generation Telecommunications Switching Platform." It covers a telecommunications market overview and a switching primer. The white paper also covers Softswitch functionality, benefits, and how Softswitch allows telecommunications companies to reduce costs.

Traditional circuit switching is giving way to more efficient and flexible packet switching technologies as a result of the explosive growth of IP (Internet Protocol) networks. A Softswitch is a software-based switching platform that provides the functionality of a traditional telephone switch in a modular, distributed fashion. The new solution runs on standard hardware to supplement or replace central office switching functions. Softswitches execute the same functions as traditional switches and are completely transparent to end-users. Telecommunications companies are embracing softswitches because they are functionally equivalent to conventional phone switches, only better, faster, and cheaper.

One characteristic of Softswitches is their open architecture, which provides great flexibility for carriers to develop custom solutions based on best-of-breed hardware and software components. Softswitches also tend to be modular, smaller, and less expensive than their conventional switching counterparts.

Sun provides a variety of proven high-availability components that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and NEPs can use to create the optimal Softswitch implementation, including NetraTM servers, CompactPCI (cPCI) boards, SPARCTM processors, JavaTM technology, the SolarisTM Operating Environment (OE), and ChorusOSTM software.

This white paper is complete with illustrations, glossary, and a list of resources naming several organizations that work on standards and issues related to Softswitch technology.

http://www.sun.com/microelectronics/whitepapers/SoftswitchFINAL.pdf [...read more...]

		fullsource
Print Email Current Profile Archive Blog Generate newsletter