Various standards bodies, including the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), have developed a solid set of service definitions for metropolitan Ethernet networks. Supporting these services is now the objective of all metro-Ethernet equipment vendors, which will enable service providers to offer a valuable and consistent set of services across a multi-vendor network. And Hatteras Networks is leading the industry in support of these and other relevant standards.

The two primary service types defined by these organizations are:

• E-LINE—as the next-generation Ethernet equivalent of today’s private line service. In a E-LINE service, premises are connected with a secure, point-to-point Ethernet link.
• E-LAN—as the multi-point counterpart to the E-LINE. In an E-LAN service, multiple sites are connected over an Ethernet LAN network (or a network that emulates an Ethernet LAN). E-LAN services are ideal for multi-site companies that require a transparent Layer 2 Virtual LAN that is compatible with, yet independent from, IP/Layer 3 routing.

In addition to basic Ethernet switching capabilities, the access equipment must perform a variety of other standard functions to deliver these services. To give business subscribers full “Ethernet-class” flexibility and affordability, the Hatteras Networks solutions supports Layer 2 protocol handling, VLAN stacking (Q-in-Q), spanning tree and related Class of Service provisions.

The following applications benefit the most from metro-Ethernet access:

• E-Line Ethernet Service
• E-LAN Ethernet Service
• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) Service
• Voice over IP (VoIP) Service
• Storage Area Network (SAN) Service
• Multi-Tenant/Multi-Dwelling Unit (MTU/MDU) Networks