AudioCodes recently acquired the Netrake Corporation, a leading provider of Session Border Controllers (SBC) and Security Gateway solutions. This acquisition enables AudioCodes to better position itself by offering a richer product portfolio comprising of Session Border Controllers and Security Gateways in addition to Media Gateway and Media Server products.

Some key definitions in the SBC world

Session – The OSI 7 layered model defines the session layer (layer 5) as being responsible for establishing, managing and terminating connections between applications. In SBC terminology, a session is any real time voice, video or multimedia communication, managed by a layer 5 control protocol (SIP, H.323, etc).
Border – Any IP to IP network border between service providers or between a service provider and its end users.
Control – Functions that allow the secure connectivity between network borders (Firewall, NAT), service delivery assurance (Protocol interworking, QoS), network operation and management (SDR), law enforcement (CALEA) and more.

Where are Session Border Controllers Deployed?

There are two main categories for SBC deployments: peering between service providers and access between a service provider and its end users.

1. Peering - the session border controller forms the border between network operators. Here it secures the network border, enforces Quality of Service policies, ensures that any intermediate NAT and firewalls can be traversed, and provides regulatory compliance.



2. Access - the Session Border Controller enables the service provider to access the residential and corporate user across NAT and firewall devices whilst also providing Quality of Service, core network security and regulatory compliance.


 

A few important facts about the nCite family of Session Border Controllers are listed below:

• The nCite family consists of two SBC products, the nCite SE (Single Engine) and the nCite DE (Dual Engine)
• The nCite SE is capable of handling 21,000 concurrent sessions at call processing rates of up to 100 calls per second, all with less than 50 microseconds of latency per call. The nCite DE doubles that to 42,000 concurrent sessions
• The nCite SBC provides communication inter-working (SIP-H.323), network security, DoS protection and application level routing
• The nCite acts as a firewall, denying all signaling and RTP traffic. Only after a session is validated, the nCite opens a “pinhole” to allow the signaling and the media to traverse across the network
• The nCite utilizes hardware based deep packet inspection (DPI) at line rates to ensure the reliable and secure transfer of packets across networks
• The nCite products offer 99.999% availability, by implementing an active-active or active-standby box level redundancy
• The SBC can be administered and monitored via the available nCite EMS client and server