Frequently Asked Questions
Is XipLink a hardware or software company?
XipLink is a software development company, with expertise in data networking protocols and traffic flows.
For the convenience of our customers, we offer industrial class hardware platforms (XH), when combined with a XipLink VNF (XV) creates an XA appliance.
How much data can I save by using XipLink?
This depends on data traffic patterns, but for voice the savings can be as high as 40% and for data in a range of 5% to 20%.
I need more data capacity than my current system allows. What is a good answer to that problem?
If you need a marginal increase in capacity, the XipLink SCPS based TCP accelerator with fast start plus compression may be enough to meet the requirements.
On the other hand, if you need many times the bandwidth you are currently receiving, XipLink can bond and balance multiple links together for drastic increases.
Do I need a XipLink instance at hub and remote sites?
Yes, to get the benefit of all the optimization features, you need to have the XipLink instances (XA Appliance or XV software image) installed as a bracketed solution.
Note that the “hub” or aggregation side can be a cloud termination, a data center or a teleport.
Can XipLink compress or improve video performance on my network.
XipLink will not compress video to a higher or lower encoding level.
However, the XipOS software will allow video to ramp up faster and buffer more consistently to the user for better experience.
XipLink also has pacing and throttling features, allowing the service provider to manage TCP based video streams in their traffic management policies.
What happens when the throughput exceeds the maximum rate allowed by the XipLink instance?
The QoS will not allow the traffic to exceed the maximum throughput the unit is allowed, for optimized traffic.
The user has the option to bypass traffic from being optimized, and the limit for bypassed traffic will be double the rated throughput of the XipLink instance.
Can the XipLink solution optimize encrypted traffic, for example https and IPSec?
Yes. Since https is TCP traffic, the XipLink system can still accelerate the TCP traffic, enhance the throughput and robustness of the TCP over the wireless network and ensure faster delivery. A Decrypt-optimize-encrypt mechanism can be used for IPSec traffic, making use of the XipLink standards-based IPSec engine and allowing the optimizer module to get access to the TCP traffic.
What are the maximum number of sessions per unit and what happens when the maximum is hit?
When the maximum number of TCP sessions are hit, additional sessions are bypassed from optimization but will continue to work.
Can XipOS optimize GRE encapsulated tunnels?
Yes. The GRE tunnels will be unpacked, optimized, and repacked into an identical tunnel. See the GRE Optimization Technical Information Bulletin.
Is an XA appliance deployed as a bridge or a router?
An appliance can be installed as a bridge, router or several other options such as using Policy Based Routing or WCCP. Please consult with a XipLink systems engineer for further information.
Is it complicated to select the right product and product options for my application?
XipLink makes product selection easy. Products are generally selected based on the bandwidth of the network. Simple! Hub optimizers for Internet access networks have one single option: the XipLink Hub Optimization option.