Edge 8000 Series Product Overview

The Ribbon Edge 8000 Series provides a highly scalable 10GB multi-tenant Ethernet router with rich layer 3 routing, tunneling, and switching features, plus full-featured Session Border Controller functionality.

Contents

About the Ribbon Edge 8000 Series

Formerly, a ​Session Border Controller​ (​SBC​) served as a network element deployed to protect​ ​SIP​-based Voice over Internet Protocol​ (VoIP) networks. ​Early deployments of SBCs were focused on the borders between two service provider networks in a peering environment. This role has now expanded to include significant deployments between a service provider's access network and a backbone network to provide service to residential and/or enterprise customers. ​

The Edge 8000 product is the newest, high-performance member of Ribbon's services gateway routers that combines security, routing, switching, and 10 Gbps WAN interfaces with next-generation voice and data services where the combination of broadband connectivity and advanced threat mitigation capabilities are required. By consolidating fast, highly available routing, security, and next-generation SBC capabilities in a single Multi-Service Edge (MSE) device, enterprises can remove network complexity, protect and prioritize resources, and improve user and application experience while lowering the total cost of ownership.

Available Models and Features

The Edge 8000 Series consists of two models:

• Edge 8100, a highly scalable Ethernet SBC and data router.
  
• Edge 8300, a high-capacity mixed SBC, analog, and data router.

The Edge 8000 Series supports the Ribbon SBC SWe Edge function as an onboard VNF application. By consolidating fast, highly available routing, security, and next-generation VNF capabilities in a single device, enterprises can remove network complexity and protect network resources.

With the SBC SWe Edge VNF, the Edge 8000 product qualifies as a Microsoft Teams Direct Routing Virtual Survivable Branch Appliance (vSBA). The vSBA function allows users inside a branch office to make and receive Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) calls when there is an external outage. Refer to Working with the Virtual Survivable Branch Appliance for more information.

All Ribbon Edge 8000 devices integrate with Ribbon RAMP. RAMP offers the convenience of a single interface from which to launch the GUIs of your RAMP-registered Edge 8000 devices, and the display of all SBC SWe Edge traps from those devices.

For an application of SIP to SIP calls only (no analog calls), a pair of Edge 8000 devices can be deployed for High Availability (HA) call protection. Refer to Overview of High Availability.

The Edge 8300 model includes all the capabilities of the 8100, plus integrates analog endpoints – FXS, FXO, and T1/E1 PRI – to accommodate analog phones and access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The 8300 provides any-to-any connectivity between analog and SIP devices, enabling branch offices to migrate analog phones to SIP-based networks and to communicate seamlessly with Ribbon Session Border Controllers. For additional features and capabilities of the Edge 8000 product, refer to Edge 8000 Series Hardware Specifications.

Architecture

Operating Systems

Ribbon offers two host operating systems:

• Alma Linux
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Alma Linux is a standard, open-source operating system. Red Hat Linux is a commonly used, proprietary, licenseable operating system that features Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-1 compliance. FIPS 140-1 is a computer security standard developed by the U.S. Government and an industry working group to validate the quality of cryptographic modules. Red Hat Linux appeals to Federal agencies and to enterprises such as financial and healthcare operators that require tightly integrated security features. Whichever operating system you select, Ribbon ships installed on your Edge 8000 device.

Internal Bridges and Interfaces

The following diagrams and tables illustrate the bridges and interfaces at the heart of an Edge 8000 device. Note that the VNF SBC SWe Edge, as a virtual machine (VM), connects internally to the other components of the Edge 8000 device through an internal bridge, Bridge 3. Bridge 2 provides a single system management access point for all the major Edge 8000 functions, including the Gateway function (SIPGW and SIPUA) for the 8300 model, the Router function for both models, and the SBC SWe Edge function for both models. Bridge 1 typically connects the Edge 8000 device to a corporate or building LAN. Bridge 4 typically connects to an external WAN. Bridge 5 typically connects two devices in a High Availability system. (Refer to Overview of High Availability.)

Edge 8100 and 8300 Device Addressing – Typical Deployment

Bridges and Available Ports

Bridge 3 IP Addressing (Not Configurable)

User Interfaces

The Edge 8000 device offers two primary user interfaces, a command line interace (CLI) and a web-based user interface (webUI). 

Edge 8000 User Interfaces

The webUI organizes device management across five major tabs at the top of the user interface. Customers familiar with the SBC SWe Edge webUI will recognize many of the same menus within the five tabs. Overall, the extensive SBC Edge Portfolio Documentation still applies to the folders and menus seen in the Edge 8000 webUI. 

WebUI Tabs

What's different in the Edge 8000 webUI is that within the Settings tab, the menus for the SBC SWe Edge are now located within an SBC folder. In this way, the Settings tab accommodates all the components of the Edge 8000 device: Gateway, Router, and SBC SWe Edge. Refer to Differences Between the SBC Edge and Edge 8000 WebUIs for illustrations of the webUI differences within the Settings tab.

Folders Within the Settings Tab

System Status

For a quick view of the system status showing the platform, licensing, and call channel status of the device, a System Status window is available from the Ribbon webUI. Refer to System Status.

Licensing

Receiving the Unit

Based on the selections you make when you place your order, Ribbon authorizes up to three product licenses – Analog, Router, and SBC SWe Edge – as described in the following table:

License Types

Ribbon ships your Edge 8000 unit with the appropriate Analog and Router licenses installed and activated. No additional action is required for these licenses.

The SWe Edge license requires additional steps to install the license, based on a license key you obtain from Ribbon after you place an order. Refer to License Management for license ordering and installation instructions.

Later Upgrading

You can later scale your device with an upgrade order based on the MAC address of the device. An upgrade order allows you to increase the data throughput of your router function, enhance your SWe Edge software features, and add concurrent call sessions to match the changing needs of an expanding network. Refer to License Management for license ordering and installation instructions.

In summary, the three types of Edge 8000 product licenses – Analog, Router, and SBC SWe Edge – can be initially ordered and later upgraded as follows:

License Ordering and Upgrading Options

Customer Documentation

The Edge 8000 Series product reuses Ribbon SBC SWe Edge and 6WIND software. Therefore, at times you will be directed to the customer documentation of the other product where a complete documentation suite describes all the features and functions of that software.

Refer to Related Documents for links to the documentation suites applicable to the Edge 8000 Series product.