San Jose, California-based StrataCom Inc has announced ForeSight, a new Frame Relay capability, which it says enables users to use spare bandwidth by establishing connections on the fly. A cell-based software program, ForeSight is used to allocate Frame Relay subscribers continuously with spare capacity on network trunks, while avoiding queue delays and discarded data. It allocates bandwidth to each Permanent Virtual Circuit by measuring usage along its path through the network, enabling a transmission to take advantage of spare capacity bursting above the assigned information rate without the risk of losing data or encountering long queuing delays. Information on the level of usage is incorporated into cell headers, with ForeSight assigning bandwidth accordingly, and incrementally increasing it if the path through the network is lightly-loaded. Conversely, if there is contention for space, the amount of extra data transmitted is reduced. ForeSight operates in conjunction with the IPX’s Frame Relay credit manager, and makes up to 25 bandwidth adjustments per Permanent Virtual Circuit per second: these adjustments are proportional to the user’s assigned information rate, the idea being that the higher the information rate, the higher the level of spare capacity assigned. The software is to be targeted both at private StrataCom network users, as well as those public carriers such as AT&T Co and British Telecommunications Plc with networks based on StrataCom switches. These, the company says, will be able to offer new services such as an off-peak Frame Relay option suitable for non-interactive tasks such as overnight file archiving. The software is to be made available on a worldwide basis in the first quarter next year, although there is no word as yet on pricing.
