RollingThunder DFS. RollingThunder DFS is Highwinds' distributed file system, software that powers the high-speed RollingThunder network by managing and distributing millions of files. Developed over five years, RollingThunder DFS is reliable and trusted file management software that provides high-speed replication with proven scalability. And while it ensures location redundancy to improve data availability and delivery performance in the face of failure or heavy load, the multiplicity and dispersion of its servers and storage devices are invisible to end users.

RollingThunder Doppler Server. RollingThunder Doppler Server helps Highwinds guarantee the best user experience by delivering all types of content through the fastest, most efficient and cost-effective means. Armed with a whole-network view, it can find the best transfer location for an end user route, taking geographic location, network traffic and QoS controls into consideration, while simultaneously preventing bottlenecks and working around failures. Furthermore, RollingThunder Doppler Server helps customers migrate to the RollingThunder platform with near-zero integration.

RollingThunder Features and Benefits

• RollingThunder is an international network. All backbone links are 10 Gbps, including transoceanic links. Many other networks rely on IP transit to reach European users. RollingThunder delivers over half a Terabit per second of bandwidth capacity.

• Foundry NetIron XMR Series, the industry's most powerful, high-density multi-service routers, are highly versatile and IPv6-ready to support several million Internet routes. They contain fully redundant fans, switch fabric and controller cards that provide for 4 Tbps and 1 billion packets of switching capacity in each node.

• The MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) backbone provides a unified data-carrying mechanism that allows for fast rerouting of traffic and fine-grained traffic control.

• Quality of Service (QoS) control mechanisms are employed to carry multiple types of traffic. For example, live streams receive the highest priority with very low packet loss, while static content is given a medium priority and lots of bandwidth. QoS allows RollingThunder to be utilized efficiently and cost-effectively without having to resort to simply throwing bandwidth at it without regard for the actual traffic requirements.

• RollingThunder DFS ensures that content can be injected into the network at any site for propagation and near-instant availability to other sites. It also automatically monitors the popularity of content to anticipate and accommodate increases in demand for any particular piece of content. When this occurs, more servers are automatically made available to handle the increased demand.

• Most CDNs only have one or two transit connections that require many hops to reach the end user, but RollingThunder peers with hundreds of other networks. Cost-competitive corporate peering agreements enable Highwinds to put content directly on the customer's network, providing for unparalleled content distribution power through a local infrastructure that improves network efficiencies and drives down costs.

• RollingThunder is continuously (24x7x365) monitored by Highwinds' technical operations staff in a state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC) located in Phoenix, Arizona. Intelligent systems monitor bandwidth, packets, errors and other statistics; alerts are provided based on thresholds, rate changes, trends and other metrics. Link errors are monitored and proactive maintenance is performed to prevent failures. And bandwidth for each Class of Service is monitored individually, enabling detailed analysis and traffic engineering, which leads to reduced operating costs and improved quality.

• The network is run by seasoned professionals who have many years of experience running IP backbones in the largest service provider networks.