Alcatel‑Lucent 3HE06151ACAC01 Control Fabric Module

The Alcatel‑Lucent 3HE06151ACAC01 is a high‑performance control fabric module designed for carrier‑grade IP/MPLS routing platforms. This module serves as the central switching fabric within the chassis, providing non‑blocking connectivity between all line cards and the system controller. It is a critical component for delivering the high throughput and low latency required by modern service provider and enterprise core networks.

Architectural Overview

The 3HE06151ACAC01 is based on a crossbar or multi‑stage Clos switching architecture, depending on the specific platform variant. It integrates multiple high‑speed serial links that connect to each I/O module in the chassis, creating a fully meshed fabric with aggregate switching capacity exceeding several hundred gigabits per second. The module includes onboard traffic management with hierarchical QoS, support for multicast replication, and advanced congestion control.

This fabric card also incorporates hardware‑based forwarding decisions, offloading the central CPU from packet switching tasks. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6, as well as MPLS label switching, VPN routing, and segment routing. Redundancy is achieved through an active/standby configuration, with seamless failover managed by the system controller.

Technical Specifications

• Product Type: Control Fabric Module

• Part Number: 3HE06151ACAC01

• Switching Capacity: 500 Gbps (full duplex, typical for mid‑range chassis)

• Switching Architecture: Crossbar with input/output queuing

• Line Card Interfaces: 8 or 16 fabric links (depending on backplane)

• Supported Protocols: MPLS, VPLS, EVPN, Segment Routing, IP multicast

• QoS: Hierarchical scheduling with 8 priority queues per port

• Redundancy: 1+1 active/standby with hitless switchover

• Memory: 4 GB DDR3 (for forwarding tables and buffer)

• Power Consumption: 80 W typical

• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 50°C

• Dimensions: Standard single‑slot fabric card (proprietary Alcatel‑Lucent form factor)

• Compliance: NEBS Level 3, RoHS

Key Features and Benefits

• Non‑blocking switching: Guarantees line‑rate performance across all ports simultaneously.

• Advanced traffic engineering: Supports MPLS‑TE and Segment Routing for optimal path selection.

• Hardware multicast replication: Efficiently handles IPTV and video distribution traffic.

• Hot‑swappable design: Allows replacement without chassis power‑down.

• Integrated diagnostics: Built‑in BERT, loopback, and error monitoring.

Deployment Scenarios

This fabric module is deployed in Alcatel‑Lucent 7750 Service Router (SR) and 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS) chassis. It acts as the central switching hub, aggregating traffic from all line cards and forwarding it to the appropriate egress ports. In large networks, multiple fabric cards can be installed to provide additional capacity and resilience.

Typical applications include IP backbone routing, metro Ethernet aggregation, and data centre interconnect (DCI). The module's ability to handle high‑capacity MPLS VPNs makes it a backbone for enterprise and residential multi‑service offerings.

Management and Integration

The module is fully managed by the host system's SROS operating system. Configuration is performed via CLI, NETCONF, or SNMP. The fabric card reports real‑time statistics on queue depths, packet drops, and error counters, aiding in capacity planning and troubleshooting. In‑service software upgrades (ISSU) are supported for the fabric firmware.

Reliability

With redundant power inputs and ECC memory, the 3HE06151ACAC01 achieves an MTBF of 200,000 hours. The active/standby arrangement ensures that a fabric failure does not impact traffic forwarding.

Conclusion

The Alcatel‑Lucent 3HE06151ACAC01 control fabric module is a robust, high‑capacity switching engine for core IP/MPLS networks. Its performance, redundancy, and advanced QoS features make it an indispensable element for building scalable, carrier‑grade infrastructures.