Products

Session border controllers

Session border controllers (SBC) provide critical control functions to deliver high quality interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—across IP network borders. A “session” is any real-time, interactive voice, video or multimedia communication using IP session-layer signaling protocols such as SIP, H.323, MGCP, Megaco/H.248 or RTSP. The “border” is any IP-IP network border such as those between service provider and enterprise, residential or mobile customer/subscriber; or between two service providers. The “control” functions satisfy requirements in the areas of security, interoperability, availability, quality and regulatory compliance.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBC product family includes the Net-Net Session Director (SD), Net-Net Signaling Firewall (SF) and Net-Net Border Gateway (BG). The Net-Net SD integrates signaling and media controls in a single standalone system, while the Net-Net SF and BG operate as “decomposed” SBCs; The Net-Net SF delivers security and other SIP signaling controls. The Net-Net BG operates in tandem with an external signaling element to control only the media within interactive communications sessions. Net-Net SBCs operate on Acme Packet’s purpose-built hardware platforms as well as a number of 3rd party platforms offered and supported by Acme Packet OEM partners.

Session managers

Session managers provide essential session control functions to deliver trusted, first-class voice, video and unified communications in fixed line, mobile and enterprise networks. For service providers, it is the central node in the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) signaling plane and interacts with many other elements to provide authentication, registration management, session and application maintenance and charging for VoIP and other IP interactive communication services. For enterprises, it is the core control engine for unified communications, IP contact center and VoIP applications.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SIP Multimedia-Xpress (SMX) adds session manager functions to Acme Packet’s Net-Net access SBC to create an integrated session delivery solution. Net-Net SMX reduces the complexity and cost of delivering high-value, revenue generating SIP multimedia services and applications for fixed line, mobile and over the top service providers as well as enter¬prises and contact centers.

Session routing proxies

Session routing proxies (SRP) centralize and consolidate routing control for SIP-based voice, video, IM and multimedia sessions. SRPs directs traffic to and from other SIP signaling elements in the network including mobile switching centers, CLASS 4 and 5 softswitches, CSCF servers and access and interconnect session border controllers. SRPs reduce costs by addressing scaling problems when SIP routing decisions become complex and require a dynamic, real-time routing decision for each individual session for multiple sources and destinations within a network. 

Acme Packet’s Open Session Routing architecture features the Net-Net Session Router working in conjunction with a world-class ecosystem of routing database products and services from Acme Packet partners. An evolutionary leap over distributed routing architectures using MSCs and softswitches, the Net-Net Session Router and OSR dramatically boosts network efficiency, intelligence while reducing capital and operational expenditures.

Diameter signaling controllers

With the growth of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks, Diameter signaling is becoming more prevalent. Diameter exchanges authentication, charging, QoS and mobility information for network attachment and for each subscriber data, voice, video or multimedia session. Diameter signaling controllers (DSCs) enable the exchange of this critical subscriber profile information within service provider LTE and IMS networks and across LTE network borders. By aggregating and controlling Diameter transactions, DSCs reduce costs, streamline networks and assure availability for LTE and IMS networks.

The Acme Packet Net-Net Diameter Director leverages Acme Packet’s Net-Net OS software to offer industry-leading DSC capabilities in terms of signaling control, security, scalability, dynamic routing and carrier-class availability. Net-Net Diameter Director supports multiple applications including core Diameter routing, LTE data and VoLTE roaming and federated service delivery.

Multiservice security gateways

Multiservice security gateways (MSGs) securely connect subscribers to mobile voice and data services over the untrusted Internet or wireless access networks. As a “gateway” they are deployed at the border between the mobile network and the Internet or unmanaged broadband access network. They are “multiservice” in that they transport both voice and data services and address a wide array of fixed mobile convergence solutions, including UMA and SIP, WiFi and small cell. The “security” function authenticates endpoints, secures the voice and data traffic within IPsec tunnels to ensure privacy and protect against theft, and defends against DoS/DDoS attacks on the mobile service infrastructure at the TCP/IP and IPsec networking levels to deliver non-stop service.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net Security Gateway offers industry-leading security gateway capabilities in terms of architectural flexibility, capacity, performance, functionality, carrier-class availability and manageability.

Session-aware load balancers

Session-aware load balancers (SLB) enable linear, non-disruptive scaling of capacity to 2 million subscribers from a single SIP IP address. They support the delivery of any IMS, RCS or NGN service; any SIP application - voice, video, presence, messaging and multimedia; over any mobile or fixed line access network including the Internet. SLBs are deployed in conjunction with SBCs configured to create a SBC cluster. The SBC clusters provide dynamic, adaptive load balancing of subscribers based on SBC availability and health score; and subscriber capacity, load, and session state. SBC clusters scale subscriber capacity without requiring architectural forklifts or network disruptions.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net SLB session-aware load balancer features carrier-class high-availability to ensure no loss of active sessions in the event of single system failures. Deployed in a high-availability (HA) pair, it checkpoints configuration and cluster state. As all cluster elements are SIP subscriber and session-aware, the Net-Net SLB and its associated SBC clusters provide a superior solution in terms of scalability, dynamic adaptive load balancing, redundancy and management compared to traditional Layer 3/Layer 5 Web load balancers and SIP redirect servers.

Application session controllers

Application session controllers (ASC) enable enterprises, service providers and third-party developers to streamline business processes by integrating their applications with IP communications services. By adding interactive voice, video, instant messaging and multimedia communications to applications, enterprises can eliminate inefficiencies and improve collaboration, productivity and customer service.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net Application Session Controller (ASC) is an advanced middleware platform that leverages existing Web development frameworks and toolsets to communications-enable business processes or Web pages. A single development project yields support for a wide range of IP communications infrastructure vendors and systems.

Session recorders

Because they are designed for recording IP voice, video, chat and unified communications sessions, IP session recorders (SR) overcome the limitations of traditional call recording solutions by capturing, securing, archiving and managing IP session-based communications for regulatory compliance and quality assurance.

Acme Packet’s Net-Net Interactive Session Recorder (ISR) is a complete software-based IP session recording solution that stores and archives voice, video and multimedia communications. Specifically designed to overcome the unique challenges associated with IP interactive session recording, the highly-extensible, feature-rich Net-Net ISR lets enterprises, contact centers and service providers enjoy state-of-the-art session recording in IP-based communications infrastructures. The Net-Net ISR is ideal for regulatory compliance and quality assurance recording applications as well as for enabling new cloud-based session recording services. With flexible open Web 2.0 APIs, the Net-Net ISR enables customers and 3rd parties to quickly and easily integrate session recording into business applications.