Connecting enterprise customers across shared network resources is a challenge facing many cable operators. Yet the delivery of secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) services is critical to cable operators trying to penetrate the enterprise market.

Operators can create long-term relationships with enterprise customers by offering VPN services that allow companies to depend on the broadband cable network for secure transport of mission-critical enterprise applications. The broadband cable network offers far more flexibility for offering VPN services, including greater abilities to "turn up" bandwidth to support peak periods or additional applications.

But most companies today either rely on private networks or VPN services offered by incumbent providers. As MSOs create VPN services that entice enterprise migration, the ability to deliver Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with measurable Quality of Service (QoS) control becomes crucial. Operators need to offer flexible VPN services that are based on industry standards, enable end-to-end security, and are highly reliable. Point product solutions are insufficient for delivering the service levels required by enterprise customers who will accept no downtime and depend on their networks for everyday business operations.

Motorola Connected Home Solutions offers the ability to create end-to-end VPNs with guaranteed QoS, measurable SLAs, and the ability to deliver secure "tunnels" between enterprise locations. Motorola offers the products, expertise, and solutions cable operators need as they aggressively deliver VPN services that attract enterprise customers to the broadband cable network. Operators can use the existing DOCSIS access network to allow enterprise networks to establish VPNs.

Deploying MPLS VPNs

Motorola offers operators the flexibility to deploy VPNs across DOCSIS access networks using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). This protocol offers a standards-based method for reducing the forwarding complexity in a network. MPLS combines the simple and fast-forwarding characteristics of Layer 2 switching with the flexibility and scalability of Layer 3 routing.

With MPLS, a packet only has to be analyzed once — when it enters the network. As the packet is received at the first router in the network, the router assigns a short "label" to the packet. When the packet is forwarded to the next router, the label is included in the packet. At subsequent routers there is no further analysis of the packet's Layer 3 address.

The Broadband Services Router 64000 (BSR 64000) Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) aggregates DOCSIS traffic flows for routing across the metropolitan network and serves as an MPLS Label Edge Router (LER) at the edge of the network. It classifies traffic and applies the MPLS labels, and MPLS Label Switched Routers (LSRs) are deployed in the core network to switch traffic at Layer 2.

The BSR 64000 serves as an MPLS LER and inspects and classifies packets in real-time. Operators can deploy the BSR 64000 in the distribution hub, and use it to apply MPLS labels at the edge of the network to create Label Switched Paths (LSPs). Because LSPs are established end-to-end across the network, they can be used as "tunnels" for all packets that need to travel to the same destination.

Operators can therefore deliver secure, encrypted tunnels for VPN applications. The BSR 64000 supports the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for creating MPLS VPNs according to the RFC 2547 specification. This allows private address space to be used across the public backbone.

Cable operators maintain maximum flexibility for deploying VPNs. In this example, BGP/MPLS VPNs are deployed to create Label Switched Paths between VPNs while avoiding the limitations of non-routable and overlapping IP addresses.

Since all the processing-intense filtering, forwarding, accounting, and QoS functions are performed in hardware at wire-speed, the BSR 64000 reduces latency to a fraction of that commonly found in mainstream, software-based routers. The BSR 64000 is DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS 2.0 qualified, PacketCable 1.1 qualified, and PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) qualified and it includes flexible interfaces for SONET/SDH and Ethernet connectivity. It offers unified management of routing, QoS, and access aggregation functions and scales economically to meet ever-increasing subscriber demands and the introduction of new services.

Operators can even offer VPN services to areas in the early stage of market penetration. The BSR 2000 (BSR 2000) provides many of the robust features of the BSR 64000 in a low-cost, highly dense platform.

Creating Innovative VPN Services

Motorola also offers the expertise to help operators rapidly deploy VPN services. The Services Group offers a complete menu of support services required to build and maintain modern communications systems. The Services Group leverages Motorola's extensive network planning, operational expertise, and intimate hardware knowledge and can help operators design, deploy, and manage flexible VPN services for enterprise customers.