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Solving the peer-to-peer dilemma

Sandvine’s approach helps service providers take P2P by the reins – without inconveniencing subscribers

Waterloo, Ontario, December 3rd, 2002 – It’s no secret that peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing activity threatens to swamp service providers. Now a new product from Sandvine offers hope to beleaguered network executives.

Today, Sandvine is launching Peer-To-Peer Policy Management, a hardware & software bundle that helps service providers take control of P2P. Sandvine’s unique approach reduces bandwidth costs by re-directing peer-to-peer traffic down a least-cost network path – without aggravating churn by inconveniencing subscribers, and without the need for content caching.

Popular file sharing programs like KaZaA and Morpheus ignore the logical topology of service provider networks. The result is ad hoc connectivity with P2P clients on other networks. This propensity to push data traffic “off net” drives up Internet transit costs and erodes profitability.

“Service providers need a comprehensive way to manage the cost and efficiency challenges posed by peer-to-peer activity,” said Dave Caputo, Founder, President and CEO of Sandvine. “Sandvine’s approach helps service providers take control of file sharing traffic and corral it within the proprietary network.”

Sandvine’s recently released study ‘The Impact Of Peer-To-Peer’ shows that file sharing activity accounts for more than 60% of the traffic on broadband networks. Click here to download.

About Sandvine Peer-To-Peer Policy Management

Sandvine Peer-To-Peer Policy Management allows service providers to establish policies that direct their subscribers’ file-sharing traffic down the least-cost network path.

Sandvine lowers network costs by logically rearranging the P2P network topology. This patent-pending approach analyzes P2P searches and ensures that each is redirected to hosts on a lower-cost path before attempting to reach hosts on a higher-cost path.

Benefits:

  • Reduces bandwidth costs
  • Improves network efficiency
  • Enhances value & utilization of existing infrastructure
  • Integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure
  • Doesn’t cache content
  • Won’t inconvenience subscribers

Features:

  • Full support for both the FastTrack and Gnutella protocols
  • Dynamic port-hop controller

Specs

Interfaces: 100/1000
Ethernet Capacity: 5000 Concurrent Users
Dimensions: (H) 1.75”, (W) 19“, (D) 23”
Compliance: UL/CSA, FCC, CE
Clustering: 

  • N + 1 Redundancy
  • Auto-Load Balancing
  • Services Only P2P Traffic
  • Connects to WCCP or Content Switching Router

Product data sheet at http://www.sandvine.com/solutions/default.asp

About Sandvine

Sandvine network equipment helps service providers better manage the growing burden of peer-to-peer (P2P) activity while building more profitable relationships with their subscribers. To reduce costs, Sandvine Peer-to-Peer Policy Management controls P2P traffic and delivers new operational efficiencies. To improve revenues, Sandvine's Subscriber Services Cluster provides a platform for easy deployment of network-based anti-virus, firewall and content filtering services to residential Internet subscribers. Sandvine products are suitable for all broadband and narrowband networks, cable or DSL. To find out more, visit Sandvine online at http://www.sandvine.com.

Media Contact:
Mark De Wolf
Public Relations
Sandvine Inc.
(519) 880-2232
mdewolf@sandvine.com