SCOPE Alliance Launches New Web Site and New Documents

By Tero Mustala and Leslie Guth, SCOPE Alliance

The SCOPE Alliance has recently launched its new Web site at www.scope-alliance.org. It serves as a resource for the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ecosystem. The idea is to present the Network Equipment Provider (NEP) perspective on open carrier-grade base platforms through technical position papers and industry white papers. The Web site also enables building block vendors to easily locate and access SCOPE’s latest technical output.

SCOPE has recently released a white paper entitled I/O Virtualization: A NEP Perspective. It outlines the I/O virtualization (IOV) landscape for NEPs and COTS ecosystem vendors, and provides a detailed look into how virtualization technology affects them. The white paper covers two types of IOV, namely shared virtualization and aggregation virtualization. Shared virtualization is used mainly for server-based network equipment, and aggregation virtualization is used for making a single virtual resource out of several physical resources. The paper also describes five specific technologies within these areas, including VTd technology, virtual function, virtual hierarchy, interconnects, and resource slicing.

As virtualization gains traction in the telecom industry, controllability of I/Os and performance require further exploration. The white paper addresses these topics and outlines standardization recommendations.

SCOPE has also released its Carrier Grade Operating System (CGOS) Gap Analysis v2.1. It discusses enhancements required for operating systems in the Carrier Grade Base Platform environment. It complements the work done in v3.0 released at the end of 2008.

Visit www.scope-alliance.org to learn more about SCOPE and to download its latest technical output.

Leslie Guth (Alcatel-Lucent) and Tero Mustala (Nokia Siemens Networks) are Marketing Co-Chairs for the SCOPE Alliance. You can reach either of them via the Alliance’s press representative, Lori Zielinski of Nereus Worldwide, at lzielinski@nereus-worldwide.com.