The high-performance Cisco 10720 Router is a principle building block in the next-generation Metro IP network. It helps service providers offer innovative and differentiated IP and VPN services to their customers at optical speeds. Equipped with Ethernet technology for customer access and the innovative Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology for metro optical connectivity, the Cisco 10720 allows service providers to offer IP and VPN services closer to the user, helping them better control admission to network resources.Powered by Cisco IOS software and Parallel Express Forwarding (PXF) technology, the Cisco 10720 is a cost-effective, reliable platform that not only supports the full suite of IP routing protocols in both IPv4 and IPv6 but also enables value-added services. The Cisco 10720 can be used to efficiently introduce advanced features such as Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs (L2VPNs and L3VPNs) without compromising on performance.With the rapid growth in bandwidth-intensive applications on the Internet, the demand for Internet connectivity has grown exponentially in the past few years. Service providers are seeking ways to offer Internet access at ever-faster speeds and to differentiate themselves from competitors by offering value-added services to their customers. Traditional optical networking products, such as SONET Add/Drop Multiplexers (ADMs), are optimized only for voice services delivery. To deliver high-speed Internet access, service providers are required to deploy an overlay IP network, which is complex, bandwidth inefficient, and difficult to manage. The Cisco 10720 Router can be deployed directly over fiber, enabling service providers to offer IP + optical access without the need for a SONET or SDH optical transport infrastructure, but maintaining carrier-class SONET/SDH characteristics for management and restoration.