InterNetworking Systems Update Lucent PortMaster 4 expands Universo Online service capacity Cernet, our Latin America reseller, reports that Brazil-based Universo Online (UOL) is experiencing explosive growth in customer demand for Internet access. When we reported on this largest of Brazil's Internet content providers in The LINK a year ago, UOL had points of presence (PoPs) in 47 major cities nationwide. Today, the number of their PoPs has grown to 72. To meet UOL customers' accelerating demands, AccessoNet - which runs UOL's network infrastructure - has enabled 8,100 ports connected to E1 digital channels provided by local carriers throughout Brazil. AccesoNet plans to add many more ports by 2Q99. What's making all this possible? More PortMaster 3 integrated access servers at UOL low-density PoPs and the deployment of multiple PortMaster 4 integrated concentrators at the company's PoPs in such high-density areas as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. AccesoNet has been running PortMaster 3 products in its network since the company began operations in October, 1997. "This platform proved to be very versatile and easy to configure, install, and manage," says Luiz Molento, AcessoNet Project Technical Director. "Our confidence in the PortMaster product line was further confirmed when Lucent Technologies acquired Livingston Enterprises, the PortMaster manufacturer now known as the InterNetworking Systems. So, with the rapid growth in demand for access to UOL's network, we naturally decided to adopt their newest product-the PortMaster 4." The PortMaster 4 has special appeal for growth-driven companies like UOL because it offers the same level of reliability and ease of management delivered by the PortMaster 3 while delivering the robust routing and scalability features that are essential in today's global marketplace. Among those features critical to UOL's continuing success are the following: Reliability: The "virtual" design of the PortMaster 4 removes all active components from the backplane, thus creating a highly reliable chassis whose architectural independence makes it easy to add new technologies without requiring a costly upgrades to the wiring or the chassis shelf. Efficiency: The PortMaster 4 incorporates an asynchronous terminal mode (ATM) cell switching fabric that allows variable-length packets to be streamed simultaneously across the backplane. This feature ensures high-speed, dedicated bandwidth with low deterministic latency and the capacity to move data efficiently through the chassis. Speed: The distributed processing capabilities of the PortMaster 4 allow each module in the chassis to offload multiple InterNetworking Systems server functions from the central processing unit (CPU) - including packet forwarding and filtering, PPP framing, and Stac-based compression. This permits full media-rate routing, even under heavily loaded conditions. Adaptability: Because it is scheduled to support Lucent System Signaling 7 (SS7) in 1999, the PortMaster 4 will enable large-scale providers to off-load data traffic from voice switches at the central office and bring such advanced telephony features as call forwarding to the data world. "Working together with Cernet and Lucent," Luiz observes, "we're building a network that has tremendous potential, and the PortMaster 3 and PortMaster 4 will be the engines that power that potential."