Hammerhead Systems introduced its Carrier Ethernet Multicast Framework, 
an advanced control plane capability designed to bridge MPLS and emerging PBB-TE based networks by enabling E-LAN and E-Tree services for PBB-TE networks, and at the same time enabling multicast E-Tree services for MPLS. This enables seamless multipoint-to-multipoint and multicast PBB-TE networks alongside their existing MPLS and VPLS networks.
Specifically, Hammerhead’s Carrier Ethernet Multicast Framework enables a service provider to deploy E-LAN and E-Tree services across their existing MPLS networks and extend them to their metro networks with PBB-TE using four Hammerhead innovations that serve as building-block technologies: 1) VPLS with hierarchical Multi-Class QoS; 2) the PBB-TE Service Gateway software feature, which has been extended to support multicast and multipoint services across MPLS and PBB-TE networks; 3) a new E-LAN software building block applied to PBB-TE networks; and 4) a new E-Tree software building block applied to both MPLS and PBB-TE networks.
Hammerhead said its Carrier Ethernet Multicast Framework would help address key deficiencies of PBT-TE by adding multipoint and multicast for E-LAN and E-Tree applications. Significantly, it would also address carrier concerns about having to choose either MPLS or PBT as a next gen architecture instead of choosing both.
Hammerhead also announced collaboration with Soapstone Networks to use its Provider Network Controller (PNC) for control plane provisioning and joint marketing to support service providers automating the provisioning of their point-to-point and multipoint PBB-TE networks.
http://www.hammerheadsystems.com
- In July 2007, Hammerhead Systems secured $18 million Series D round of funding for its traffic aggregation and switching platform. Hammerhead said its HSX 6000 answers the need for traffic aggregation in a market in which Ethernet services are taking off and in which legacy services are also continuing to grow. Its single box solution offers dense Ethernet aggregation for both E-Line and E-LAN services, MPLS Pseudowire termination, VPLS, Leased Line IP Aggregation, Frame Relay and ATM/IMA support, and Any-to-Any Service Inter-working. The new funding round was led by Foundation Capital and joined by all existing investors including Mayfield Fund, Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, Pequot Ventures, Silver Creek Ventures and Apex Venture Partners. Hammerhead Systems has raised $98 million in total capital to date.
