McObject announced that NextPoint Networks has integrated McObject’s eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database system in multiple applications within its IntelliConnect System product family, which enables operators to deliver intelligent, secure and scalable session management between fixed, mobile and blended IP networks.

NextPoint has deployed eXtremeDB to handle core real-time database tasks in Rule Engine software components within both its Session Border Controller (SBC) and Multi-protocol Session Exchange (MSX) applications. Within NextPoint’s SBC and MSX applications, eXtremeDB supports implementation of more complex rules, helping to meet enhanced session switching requirements that must take into account business, session and network rules.

“The eXtremeDB software is being used as an integral component in our embedded high-performance policy decision function. We chose eXtremeDB as our embedded database because of its small footprint and high performance,” said Bruce Mattie, director of software engineering for NextPoint.

NextPoint’s reasons for selecting eXtremeDB are shared by many embedded software developers in the telecom and network communications sectors. As a result, the list of eXtremeDB-based products in this market ranges from IP network infrastructure such as NextPoint’s, to WiMAX base stations, roaming service, fault management, billing/revenue assurance, fraud and threat detection, and many other application types.

“IP convergence is requiring telecom equipment vendors’ products to support more complex applications in real-time. Leveraging a tightly integrated database engine like McObject’s commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) eXtremeDB offers reliability, development efficiency, and the flexibility to cost-effectively add on new application features in the future,” said Stephen Balacco, Director, Embedded Software Practice at Venture Development Corporation (VDC).

Telecom/netcom technology providers appreciate that eXtremeDB provides critical features including transactions, concurrent access, and a high-level data definition language while maintaining a tiny code footprint (as little as 50K) and real-time responsiveness through a streamlined, all-in-memory design.

eXtremeDB’s multiple APIs, cited as an advantage by NextPoint, include a native interface for maximum performance, flexibility and determinism, as well as industry standard SQL, which can be used for ad hoc queries against eXtremeDB data stores. For developer flexibility, eXtremeDB supports the widest range of data and query types. Available indexes include the Patricia trie, a data structure that is optimized for fast IP address lookup and matching.

McObject provides eXtremeDB editions that are optimized for special application requirements such as high availability, transaction logging, and hybrid on-disk/in-memory data storage. A 64-bit version of the database system, eXtremeDB-64, supports databases that are hundreds of times larger than the 32-bit edition.

eXtremeDB is offered on a wide range of hardware and operating systems, and is easily ported to other platforms (it can also run without an OS in “bare bones boards” deployments).