Japan : NTT DATA Corporation and NEC Corporation announced the completion of NTT DoCoMo Corporation (NTT DoCoMo) next i-mode gateway system named "CiRCUS".

Inset is Toshiharu Aoki President and CEO NTT DATA.

i-mode gateway system, "CiRCUS", is the backbone system supporting more than 37 million i-mode subscribers using mail services and web access services and also is one of the world's largest mission critical system in open environment, based upon leading edge open architecture technology.

This project was accomplished by NTT DoCoMo, NTT DATA and NEC under NTT DoCoMo's advanced framework design. The system operates under approximately 400 of NEC's global standard large scale UNIX based servers, "NX7000" along with NTT DATA developing the portal and back office applications. NEC integrated the system platform as well as developing mail and management observation applications which realizes:

50,000 web access per second
25,000 mail/receive transaction per second
24hours 365days system operation
Fail free system expansion
The main features of this system are as follows:

World's largest mission critical system based upon open architecture technology.
Adopting open architecture to hardware and software basis as well as having complete optimization of performance designing, business designing and high ability designing will meet the following requirements for establishing high performance and high reliability system configuration.

1) High transaction performance
By newly developing "Multi-thread Control Middleware" enables thousands of simultaneous parallel processing as well as performing thorough load examination will enable 50,000 web accesses per second and 25,000 mail/receive transaction per second high level performances. Furthermore, approximately 400 of NEC's UNIX based servers, "NX7000", 400 terabits of EMC's storages; approximately 600 of Cisco and Foundry's networking equipments realize high level transaction

2) 24hours 365days system operation
NEC's middleware product lineup "VALUMO Ware" related operation management system "WebSAM" and middleware platform" OpenDiosa" has been adopted for the system to realize 24hours 365days operation.

3) Fail free system expansion
To realize flexible system expansion as a top priority service policy, the following system architecture has been adopted to provide high reliability by distributing functions of the system as well as dispersing load and localizing the breakdown points.

a) "Triple segment system structure"
b) "Three layer structure"- three layer structure accordingly to the functions such as interface to the communication network, service provision, standardized basis
c) "Operation distribution structure"- operation assembled at each layer

Moreover, networks have been quadruplicated at each component level and redundant design such as server high availability has been adopted to realize high reliability design.
With this system architecture, system expansion and additional services are realized at fail free conditions.

24hours 365days support based on strategic partnership
Joint support system with strategic partners such as Hewlett-Packard Company, Oracle Corporation, EMC Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Foundry Networks, Inc. to verify various combined products as well as to obtain maximum system performance from the verification results. Moreover, in the stage of operation, strategic partners and special support team for the named "MCATSS" will be organized for preventive maintenance and 24 hours 365days failure support by collaborating with various software companies. These actions will make possible 24hours 365days high reliability, high availability system establishment and operation.

Under the concept "Insight for the New Paradigm -Shaping the Future with IT-" NTT DATA, reading the future, responds to the newest of technologies and services, as well as reacting to market changes and customer needs with swiftness and precision, offering an optimum system that combines various vendors' products. The establishment of "CiRCUS" demonstrates the validity of NTT DATA's system integration ability of this large scale mission impossible system which was made possible by NTT DATA's drastic high project control ability and systematization technology.
NTT DATA will continuously respond adequately to market changes and customers needs and offer an optimum system to enhance our customer's corporate value.

NEC striving towards the "IT/Network Integrated Solution Company" will realize this movement by utilizing the broadband between companies which comprise the foundations of the value-chain management, add spectrum control and load sharing functions to VoIP, as well as combining BIGLOBE, PC's, mobile telephone to realize ubiquitous solutions. "CiRCUS" proves NEC's high quality "IT/Network Integrated Solution" ability to offer total solutions, from mobile telephone to network infrastructures and service platform systems.
In addition, NEC accumulates advanced technologies and offers ahead of other companies, "Open Mission Critical System" which is one of the "IT/Network Integrated Solution", making possible 24hours 365days "robust" operation and "flexible" operation, which is the combination of the ability to response swiftly to the variant market and realizing fail free expansion.
NEC will furthermore expand its activities utilizing the new technologies which were developed in establishing the "CiRCUS" system such as "platform infrastructure technology", "application development technology", "project management capability".