Future for Policy Enforcement and Network Probes

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Today’s Presenters

Simon Stanley Analyst at Large

Heavy Reading

Karl Wale Director Product Line Management

Radisys

Agenda

• Market Trends and Network Architectures

• Multicore Processor Options and

Standardized Platforms

• PCEF Market and Implementations

• Traffic Management

• Conclusions

Mobile Market Trends

• Mobile broadband growing rapidly • Faster smartphones • Network intensive applications • New subscribers with broadband service

• Operators investing heavily • Network capacity • Network performance • LTE is key technology

• Operators need to maintain ROI • Maximize revenue per user • Optimize network configuration

Mobile Broadband Market Growth

Source: Pyramid Research

Policy Control

• Policy Enforcement • Control usage

• Subscription plan

• Network loading

• Type of application

• Allows application aware charging

• Network Probes • Passive systems • Monitor and record mobile network usage • Profile user behavior • Results used to refine subscription plans and optimize

network configuration

3G/LTE Network Architecture

Serving

Gateway

PDN

Gateway

RNC

S1-u

Internet

OFDMA

HSPA

NodeB

Radio Access Network Packet Core IMS / Internet

S5

luPS

HSPA

eNodeB

PCRF

SGSN

MME

HLR / HSS

GGSN

PCEF

Gn

Source: Earlswood Marketing

Multicore Processor Options

• General purpose multicore processors • X86 architecture • 4, 6 or more cores (12 or more virtual cores) • Closely coupled memory banks • DPI enhanced by SIMD cores and instruction extensions • Intel Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK)

• Integrated multicore processors • Up to 100 real or virtual cores (MIPS or PowerPC) • Enhanced DPI performance with new 64-bit cores • Integrated cross connect switch • High speed memory and networking interfaces • Offload engines & network accelerators

• Network Processors

• FPGAs

Standardized Platforms

• Carrier Grade Server Systems • Rack mount or blade servers • Based on x86 multicore processors • Need discrete switching and load

balancing systems

• ATCA • Carrier grade telecom platform • Widely used for IMS and 3G/4G

packet core • Support for all types of multicore

processor • Scalable platform • Integrated 10Gbit/s or 40Gbit/s

switching

DPI Market

• Standalone market growth • 30-50% CAGR

• Key trends • Fixed drove market early on • Mobile most significant 2012+ • Strong Far East growth • Includes PCRF

• Take-aways • Existing networks key, especially 3G • Fixed vs mobile architectures

Source : Infonetics 2011

Others available at

http://broabandtrafficmanagement.blogspot.com/p/dpi-market-size-forecast.html

Radisys Role in PCEF & DPI

55+ Licenses ~40% ATCA Market Share ATCA Leader ~60% Share

Macro -> Femto

Small Cells

10G ATCA -> 40G ATCA

SEG: Secure Backhaul Dumb -> Smart Pipe

Better QoE

VoLTE

A/V VAS

Expanding PCEF Capabilities

Policy Enforcement

Point

Access Aware

(Macro vs. Femto)

RAN Congestion

Aware

Tiered SLA Aware

(Platinum vs. Gold)

Application Aware

(Conversational vs. Streaming Video)

Device Aware (Tablet vs.

Smartphone)

DPI = Different Classes of Service + Traffic Optimization + Tiered SLA

DPI Applications Beyond PCEF

DPI

Subscriber

Mgmt

PCEF

Mobile Fixed

Security

LI

Monitoring

Offload Video

IOG

FGW

Charging

PCRF

…in reality market opportunity for DPI significantly larger than PCEF

…plus many of these inter-connect or leverage same architectures

Data Growing…is Gap Reducing ?

Text

Traffic Doubling every 12 months

Video = Operators’ Albatross

End of ‘unlimited’ plans

Revenue increase : sharing business

models & tiered services introduced

Moores law : lower cost/bit

Source: Cisco VNI Source: Heavy Reading

Revenues

Traffic

Revenues &

Traffic Gap

Narrow (?)

Revenue vs. Traffic Growth

Voice Era

Data Era

PCEF Scalability Paradigm

Cost / CapEx

Ca

pa

cit

y

3G

10-40G

LTE

100G+

Fixed

300-500G

Integrated

Edge Routers

10-40GbE

40-100GbE

Number of Ports

Port Speed 10-40-100G

Overall Platform Cost

Expansion Capabilities

Protecting existing CapEx

Audience Poll #1

When will PCEF systems require 100GbE ports?

• Using already

• 2012

• 2013

• Later than 2013

• Never

PCEF Platforms Decisions

Small

<10Gbps

Medium

10-100Gbps

Large

100Gbps

Today

Future

Enterprise Servers

Proprietary Appliance

AdvancedTCA (10G)

Appliance inc. clustering

Integrated Edge Routers

AdvancedTCA (40G)

Integrated Edge Router

Carrier Grade Appliances

Anatomy of PCEF

Policy Mgmt Application

inc. Rules Engine

Usage Reporting &

Statistics

PCRF Network

Management

FlowEngine

Load Balancer

DPI

Signature

Engine

Packet

Shaper

Rate Limit, Block

DPI

Signature

Engine

Packet

Shaper

Rate Limit, Block

DPI

Signature

Engine

Packet

Shaper

Rate Limit, Block

Configuration &

System Mgmt

e.g. Diameter Trillium

Stacks

Policy & Reporting Application

Session Processor(s)

Packet Processor

Load Balancer

Mobile Core

Network

Probes

High End AdvancedTCA PCEF

Port

Density

Up to 64 x

10G

Future

100GbE

ports …

LB

LB

LB

Hub

Switch

IO

IO

IO

LB IO Hub

Switch

16 x 10G

16x 10G

System Mgmt

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Policy Engine

Network IO

640Gbps Load Balancer

300-400G Application ID & Policies

~ 320G

Adjust LB vs Policy Engine vs Chassis Size (2-6-14 slots)

To reach given capacity requirements

High End PCEF – The Alternatives

• Proprietary ? • OK if you are Tier 1 with volume – and even then it can

be expensive to re-use inhouse platform • Tier2/3, ROI usually too low unless R&D vs Revenue

significantly increased…shareholder support ?

• Blade Servers • CPU capacity is OK, but with external load balancer • Adding external load balancer introduces significant

cost and complexity

Transitioning to 100GbE

• Market is starting a move towards 100GbE • Catalyst will be widespread introduction of small form

factor, low cost optical modules such as CFP2

• Stand-alone PCEF influenced by edge routers • Connectivity mostly CFP today, which is too large and

costly for commoditization, especially in-building

• 2H 2012 / 2013 sees migration to 100G switches • This is catalyst for stand-alone PCEF to move to 100G • Short term 100G (10/10, 10/12) cables an alternative

Medium Capacity PCEF’s

Commerial

Network Appliances

2U 19” Rack Mountable

NEBS certified

20” deep (600mm cabinet)

Long lifecycle parts

FRU Serviceability

IO, PSU, Fans

HW accelerators

Fully managed

Carrier Grade PCEF for Mobile Networks……

…scalable from 10-40Gbps

…cluster for 100Gbps+

…migration from blades to appliances

Traffic Management

• Critical to overall QoS & efficiency

• Integral part of end to end policy strategy

• LTE expected to drive requirement from software to hardware

Traffic Management

• 5 Level Hierarchy

• Maps flowsports (Millions per system)

• Network processors feature heavily in proprietary integrated solutions (Edge Routers with DPI/PCEF)

• Future PCEF & standards based network elements will need capability

Packet Processor (Load Balancer/Session Processor)

Traffic Management Integration

RT

M

Ethernet Switch

CPU

CPU

Traffic Manager

PCIe x8 / ILA

Fab

ric

DIM

M

DIMM

NPU

Search

Memory

Buffer

Memory

Stats

Memory

Ingress Pre-processing

Egress

Traffic

Shaping

Audience Poll #2

What is your view on PCEF in LTE Networks

• Stand-alone PCEF will be most common

• PCEF function will reside in P-GW

• PCEF will be in separate edge routers

• LTE has enough capacity to not need PCEF

• Traffic management will replace PCEF

Conclusions

• PCEF remains strong, growing market • Stand alone & integrated both have role to play

• Creating & leveraging markets for network probes

• Fixed & mobile PCEF requirements differ, and potentially so do the fulfilment platforms

• Bladed solution gain strength, ATCA diversity key

• New architectures complete solutions • Carrier grade network appliances • Hardware based traffic management solutions

Q&A Session

Simon Stanley Analyst at Large

Heavy Reading

Karl Wale Director Product Line Management

Radisys

Thank you for attending!

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