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OIF Thought Leaders to Provide Updates on Co-Packaging, 400ZR, Electrical Data Rates and Transport SDN Projects at Global Conferences

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Presenting developments on innovative projects at OFC 2021, Optinet China 2021 and
China Fiber Connect Forum 2021

Fremont, Calif.—June 7, 2021 – OIF thought leaders will share insight into OIF’s interoperability work in groundbreaking technologies at some of the world’s largest global communications conferences: OFC 2021, Optinet China 2021 and China Fiber Connect Forum 2021.

OIF’s dynamic membership has brought about significant advances in the industry through its interoperability work.

“For more than 20 years, we’ve led the way for network operators and system, component and test equipment vendors to collaborate on, and test the interoperability of the electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry. Our members continue the path forward by sharing their expertise and OIF project updates at three global conferences this month,” said Ian Betty, OIF Board President, Ciena.

OFC 2021 Panels – Virtual

“Electrical Data Rates Keep Pushing Forward: An OIF Update”
Tuesday, June 08, 2021 – 11:00-12:00 PDT
A panel of industry experts and OIF members will provide an update on OIF’s CEI-112G and CEI-224G development work, including discussion and debate of 224G modulations.

  • Moderator: Nathan Tracy, OIF VP of Marketing, TE Connectivity
  • Panelists: David Stauffer, OIF Physical & Link Layer Working Group Chair, Kandou Bus SA; Gary Nicholl, OIF Secretary/Treasurer, Cisco; Cathy Liu, Broadcom Inc.; Mike Li, OIF Board Member, Intel and Thananya Baldwin, Keysight Technologies

“OFC Media/Analyst Panel: Data Center Optics are Heading Toward Co-packaged Optics: Why, How and When?”
Tuesday, June 08, 2021 – 12:30 – 13:30 PDT
This OFC-sponsored panel of industry experts will discuss the need for co-packaged optics (CPO) inside the data center. The path to CPO commercialization is fraught with risk. An entire ecosystem must be developed to support the transition from pluggable modules. The panel consists of specialists who come from different parts of this potential ecosystem to deliberate CPO’s merits, its potential pitfalls, how and perhaps when it can be successful.

  • OIF Speaker: Mark Filer, OIF Board Member, Microsoft

“400ZR Deployment and What’s Next: An OIF Update”
Friday, June 11, 2021 – 11:30-13:00 PDT
A panel of industry experts will provide an update to the state of the 400G coherent transmission ecosystem. They will provide an update for 400ZR deployment and the status of ongoing OIF projects that are intended to accelerate the deployment of optical networking equipment. A panel discussion including representatives of the DSP, optics, equipment, and end-user communities will ensure this will be a lively discussion.

  • Moderator: Richard Ward, OIF Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair – PLL, Intel
  • Panelists: Ian Betty, OIF President, Ciena; Josef Berger, Marvell; Tom Williams, Cisco;  Paul Brooks, Viavi Solutions

Optinet China 2021 – Beijing

“Overview of OIF Transport SDN Projects”
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 – 11:50-12:10 China Standard Time
During this session, an OIF expert will discuss OIF’s Transport SDN projects and the 2020 Transport SDN API Interop Demonstration, where operator-defined use cases and deployment scenarios for multi-vendor Layer 0 and Layer 1 networks were tested in the Telefonica Madrid lab using the ONF T-API 2.1.3 and OpenConfig device APIs for interoperability between devices, SDN controllers and orchestrators.

  • Presenter: Hu Qian, OIF Representative, Senior Engineer, Optical Communication Research Center of China Telecom Beijing Research Institute

China Fiber Connect Forum 2021 – Suzhou

“Standardization for the Co-packaging of Photonics and Electronics”
Thursday, June 24, 2021 – Time TBD
OIF has been studying the co-packaging of ASICs with optical and electrical transceivers within its Co-Packaging Framework Project.   During this session, an OIF expert will define co-packaging, its’ unique challenges, and describe OIF activities to address multi-vendor interoperability for co-packaging.

  • Presenter:  Jeff Hutchins, OIF Physical & Link Layer Working Group – Co-Packaging Vice Chair, Ranovus

 

About OIF

OIF is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. Building on more than 20 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 100+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF at @OIForum, on LinkedIn and at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

PR Contact:

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for OIF

Email: leah@wilkinson.associates

Office: 703-907-0010

 

 

OIF Validates Maturity of Transport SDN APIs in 2020 Multi-Vendor Interoperability Demonstration – Results published in new white paper

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Successful collaborative multi-vendor demo revealed high percentage of network operator-favored use cases supported and high product maturity, identified areas for interoperability improvement

Fremont, Calif. – OIF today revealed the results of its 2020 Transport SDN Application Programming Interface (API) Interoperability Demonstration in a new white paper now available here. The white paper includes details on the test topology, testing methodology, technical specifications, use cases and findings.

The 2020 joint network operator, multi-vendor demo event focused on testing SDN-based programmability, control, and automation to support the industry to develop standard, robust, interoperable APIs for widescale adoption. The testing was conducted on a partially disaggregated open optical network architecture with operator-defined use cases.

“Interoperable transport SDN APIs are essential capabilities to enable open optical networks,” said Mauro Costa, Head of planning, strategy & architecture, Telia Company, a consulting network operator for this year’s demo. “International co-operations, like this one with OIF, allow the industry to progress at a high pace and Telia Company welcomes the opportunity offered by this interoperability demo. It reinforces that we are advancing in the right direction and that the maturity of the APIs implementation for optical SDN architecture is improving.”

The results of the 2020 demo were presented during a public read-out webinar held on 12 January 2021 in conjunction with Lightwave and on 19 January 2021 at a private, invitation-only virtual event jointly hosted by OIF and Telefónica. On-demand viewing of the Lightwave webinar is available here.

The interoperability testing involved three phases over ten weeks, Sept – Nov 2020, in Telefónica’s Madrid lab:

  • Phase 1: Open Networking Foundation (ONF) T-API NBI testing, Scope: ONF T-API v2.1.3 reference implementation agreement TR-547
  • Phase 2: Open terminals testing including discovery, provisioning, service de-activation and streaming telemetry
  • Phase 3: End-to-end disaggregation demo, Scope: evaluation and demonstration of end-to-end use cases

Findings and results of the testing include:

  • Vendor products demonstrate a high level of maturity and support of operator-favored use cases, based on T-API version 2.1.3 and OpenConfig APIs. Vendors have adopted the ONF 2.1.3 Reference Implementation Agreement (ONF TR-547) rapidly and with few deviations.
  • Inconsistent interpretation of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) RESTCONF standard was one interoperability issue identified, especially standard authentication. Clarification to RESTCONF provisioning behavior and implementation scalability were also identified as issues.
  • A particularly good level of compliance to the OpenConfig models was demonstrated by implementations, however, some areas such as key exchange algorithms for IETF NETCONF and complex use cases for device provisioning and commissioning did generate issues.

Participating vendors included ADVA, Ciena, Cisco Systems, Infinera and Nokia. Network operator Telefónica hosted the demo. China Telecom, Telia Company and TELUS participated as consulting network operators.

Additional information and an infographic describing the demo can be found here.

About OIF

OIF is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. Building on 20 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 100+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF at @OIForum, on LinkedIn and at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

PR Contact:

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for OIF

Email: leah@wilkinson.associates

Office: 703-907-0010

 

OIF’s Optical Masterclass Series at NGON to Include Updates on 400ZR, Common Electrical I/O, Flex Ethernet & SDN Projects

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Fremont, Calif.—May 8, 2019 – At NGON, May 21-23, 2019, OIF experts will kick off the Optical Masterclass Series with a comprehensive update on its 400ZR, Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-112, Flex Ethernet (FlexE) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) projects.

“OIF’s interoperability solutions are vital to the global network and with many of the key network operators in attendance, NGON is the ideal platform to provide updates on OIF’s work in 400ZR, CEI, FlexE and SDN,” said Dave Brown, Nokia and OIF Director of Communications.

The “Optical Masterclass Series – The Optical Internetworking Forum” session is being held Tuesday, May 21, 2019 from 09:00 – 11:00 (NEW TIME AS OF 5/16). Brown and Karl Gass, OIF Physical & Link Layer Working Group Vice Chair, Optical, will discuss how OIF is assuring interoperability in open, agile, next-generation optical networks and provide updates on crucial industry projects.

400ZR

OIF’s 400ZR project is critical in facilitating the reduction of cost and complexity for high bandwidth data center interconnects and promoting interoperability among optical module manufacturers. This Implementation Agreement (IA) will specify an interoperable digital coherent 400ZR interface targeted at short reach (80 km or more) DWDM amplified noise limited links and unamplified loss limited links.

CEI

The CEI project update will include discussion of the multiple 112 Gb/s interfaces being defined by OIF including CEI-112G MCM, XSR, VSR, MR and LR. Applications of these 112 Gb/s interfaces include die-to-die, die-to-OE (optical engine) on package, chip-to-module, chip-to-chip and chip-to-chip long reach over backplane and cables.

FlexE

OIF continues to lead in FlexE aggregation architectures through its newest FlexE 2.1 project for FlexE over 50GbE PHY applications, an extension to its FlexE 2.0 Implementation Agreement (IA). FlexE 2.1 will specify a 50G FlexE frame and multiplexing format and will address FlexE applications with lower bandwidth needs and provide an implementation foundation for applications including the access layer of the future 5G mobile network.

SDN

In November 2018, OIF announced the launch of “Requirements for Integrated Packet Optical SDN.” The project outlines requirements for a multi-layer SDN reference architecture as a use case for packet optical transport networks. It will generate functional requirements, a reference architecture and use cases for packet/optical networks guided by the vision to enable agile, open network solutions that simplify operations and optimize resource utilization.

IC-TROSA

The session will also include an update on the Integrated Coherent Transmit-Receive Optical Sub Assembly (IC-TROSA) project that defines a standard optical component containing a complete coherent modem. The availability of highly integrated components accelerates the adoption of coherent transmission into additional markets.

Additionally, Gass will participate in Wednesday’s Plenary session, 09:30 – 10:10, “Present View: To the terabit & beyond – practicalities for coherent transmission.” Also on Wednesday, from 14:35 – 15:30, Brown will speak on the “Open Source Approach: Looking at disaggregation as a pathway for multi-vendor cooperation, interoperability and driving enhanced network interfaces” panel.

Check the status of OIF’s current work here.

About OIF
Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. Celebrating 20 years of effecting progressive change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 100+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors, all collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF at @OIForum, on LinkedIn and at https://www.oiforum.com/.

 

PR Contact:
Leah Wilkinson
Wilkinson + Associates for OIF
Email: leah@wilkinson.associates
Office: 703-907-0010

 

OIF Work Continues to Advance SDN Commercialization Through New Project – “Requirements for Integrated Packet Optical SDN”

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Webinar in partnership with Lightwave to feature OIF global multi-vendor interop demonstration results for SDN T-API use cases Fremont, Calif.—November 15, 2018 – Reinforcing its work to speed the implementation and commercialization of software-defined networking (SDN), OIF announced the launch of its newest project — “Requirements for Integrated Packet Optical SDN.” The project outlines requirements for a multi-layer SDN reference architecture as a use case for packet optical transport networks.

This work continues OIF’s lead in FlexE aggregation architectures by keeping current with industry PHY rates Fremont, Calif.—December 4, 2018 – OIF, the global industry forum accelerating market adoption of advanced interoperable optical networking solutions, today announced the launch of the FlexE 2.1 project and newly elected board members and working group chairs. The new project initiation and elections took place at the Q418 Technical and MA&E Committee meetings held October 29-November 2, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. This work continues OIF’s lead in FlexE aggregation architectures by keeping current with industry PHY rates Fremont, Calif.—December 4, 2018 – OIF, the global industry forum accelerating market adoption of advanced interoperable optical networking solutions, today announced the launch of the FlexE 2.1 project and newly elected board members and working group chairs. The new project initiation and elections took place at the Q418 Technical and MA&E Committee meetings held October 29-November 2, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

T-API taps into the transport layer

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This article originally appeared on Gazettabyte by editor Roy Rubenstein: http://www.gazettabyte.com/home/2018/8/20/t-api-taps-into-the-transport-layer.html

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) in collaboration with the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) and the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) have tested the second-generation transport application programming interface (T-API 2.0).

SK Telecom’s Park Jin-hyo

T-API 2.0 is a standardised interface, released in late 2017 by the ONF, that enables the dynamic allocation of transport resources using software-defined networking (SDN) technology.

The interface has been created so that when a service provider, or one of its customers, requests a service, the required resources including the underlying transport are configured promptly.

The OIF-led interoperability demonstration tested T-API 2.0 in dynamic use cases involving equipment from several systems vendors. Four service providers – CenturyLink, Telefonica, China Telecom and SK Telecom – provided their networking labs, located in three continents, for the testing.

Packets and transport 

SDN technology is generally associated with the packet layer but there is also a need for transport links, from fibre and wavelength-division multiplexing technology at Layer 0 through to Layer 2 Ethernet.

Transport SDN differs from packet-based SDN in several ways. Transport SDN sets up dedicated pipes whereas a path is only established when packets flow for packet SDN. “When you order a 100-gigabit connection in the transport network, you get 100 gigabits,” says Jonathan Sadler, the OIF’s vice president and Networking Interoperability Working Group chair. “You are not sharing it with anyone else.”

Another difference is that at the packet layer with its manipulation of packet headers is a digital domain whereas the photonic layer is analogue. “A lot of the details of how a signal interacts with a fibre, with the wavelength-selective switches, and with the different componentry that is used at Layer 0, are important in order to characterise whether the signal makes it through the network,” says Sadler.

T-API 1.0 is a configure and step-away deployment, T-API 2.0 is where the dynamic reactions to things happening in the network become possible

Prior to SDN, control functions resided on a platform as part of a network’s distributed control plane. Each vendor had their own interface between the control and the optical domain embedded within their platforms. T-API has been created to expose and standardise that interface such that applications can request transport resources independent of the underlying vendor equipment.

NBI refers to a northbound interface while SBI stands for a southbound interface. Source: OIF.

To fulfil a connection across an operator’s network involves a hierarchy of SDN controllers. An application’s request is first handled by a multi-domain SDN controller that decomposes the request for the various domain controllers associated with the vendor-specific platforms. T-API 2.0’s role is to link the multi-domain controller to the application layer’s orchestrator and also connect the individual domain controllers to the multi-domain SDN controller (see diagram above). T-API is an example of a northbound interface.

The same T-API 2.0 interface is used at both SDN controller levels, what differs is the information each handles. Sadler compares the upper T-API 2.0 interface to a high-level map whereas the individual TAPI 2.0 domain interfaces can be seen as maps with detailed ‘local’ data.  “Both [interfaces] work on topology information and both direct the setting-up of connections,” says Sadler. “But the way they are doing it is with different abstractions of the information.”

T-API 2.0

The ONF developed the first T-API interface as part of its Common Information Model (CIM) work. The interface was tested in 2016 as part of a previous interoperability demonstration involving the OIF and the ONF.

One important shortfall revealed during the 2016 demonstrations, and which has slowed its deployment, is that the T-API 1.0 interface didn’t fully define how to notify an upper controller of events in the lower domains. For example, if a link is congested, or worst, lost, it couldn’t inform the upper controller to re-route traffic. This has been put right with T-API 2.0.

“T-API 1.0 is a configure and step-away deployment, T-API 2.0 is where the dynamic reactions to things happening in the network become possible,” says Sadler.

When it comes to the orchestrator tying into the transport network, we do believe T-API will be one of the main approaches for these APIs

Interoperability demonstration

In addition to the four service providers, six systems vendors took part in the recent interoperability demonstration: ADVA Optical Networking, Coriant, Infinera, NEC/ Netcracker, Nokia and SM Optics.

The recent tests focussed on the performance of the TAPI-2.0 interface under dynamic network conditions. Another change since the 2016 tests was the involvement of the MEF. The MEF has adopted and extended T-API as part of its Network Resource Modeling (NRM) and Network Resource Provisioning (NRP) projects, elements of the MEF’s Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) architecture. The LSO allows for service provisioning using T-API extensions that support the MEF’s Carrier Ethernet services.

Three aspects of the T-API 2.0 interface were tested as part of the use cases: connectivity, topology and notification.

Setting up a service requires both connectivity and topology. Topology refers to how a service is represented in terms of the node edge points and the links. Notification refers to the northbound aspect of the interface, pushing information upwards to the orchestrator at the application layer. This allows the orchestrator in a multi-domain network to re-route connectivity services across domains.

The four use cases tested included multi-layer network connections whereby topology information is retrieved from a multi-domain network with services provisioned across domains.

T-API 2.0 was also used to show the successful re-routing of traffic when network situations change such as a fault, congestion, or to accommodate maintenance work. Re-routing can be performed across the same layer such as the IP, Ethernet or optical layer, or, more optimally, across two or more layers. Such a capability promises operators the ability to automate re-routing using SDN technology.

The two other use cases tested during the recent demonstration were the orchestrator performing network restoration across two or more domains, and the linking of data centres’ network functions virtualisation infrastructure (NFVI).  Such NFVI interconnect is a complex use case involving SDN controllers using T-API to create a set of wide area networks connecting the NFV sites. The use case set up is shown in the diagram below.

Source: OIF

SK Telecom, one of the operators that participated in the interoperability demonstration, welcomes the advent of T-API 2.0 and says how such APIs will allow operators to enable services more promptly.

“It has been difficult to provide services such as bandwidth-on-demand and networking services for enterprise customers enabled using a portal,” says Park Jin-hyo, executive vice president of the ICT R&D Centre at SK Telecom. “These services will be provided within minutes, according to the needs, using the graphical user interface of SK Telecom’s network-as-service platform.”

SK Telecom stresses the importance of open APIs in general as part of its network transformation plans. As well as implementing a 5G Standalone (SA) Core, SK Telecom aims to provide NFV and SDN-based services across its network infrastructure including optical transport, IP, data centres, wired access as well as networks for enterprise customers.

“Our final goal is to open the network itself to enterprise customers via an open API,” says Park. “Our mission is to create 5G-enabled network-slicing-based business models and services for vertical markets.”

Takeways

The OIF says the use cases have shown that T-API 2.0 enables real-time orchestration and that the main shortcomings identified with the first T-API interface have been addressed with T-API 2.0.

The OIF recognises that while T-API may not be the sole approach available for the industry – the IETF has a separate activity – the successful tests and the broad involvement of organisations such as the ONF and MEF make a strong case for T-API 2.0 as the approach for operators as they seek to automate their networks.

“When it comes to the orchestrator tying into the transport network, we do believe T-API will be one of the main approaches for these APIs,“ says Sadler.

SK Telecom said participating in the interop demonstrations enabled it to test and verify, at a global level, APIs that the operators and equipment manufacturers have been working on. And from a business perspective, the demonstration work confirmed to SK Telecom the potential of the ‘global network-as-a-service’ concept.

Editor note: Added input from SK Telecom on September 1st. 

OIF CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL SDN TRANSPORT API INTEROPERABILITY TESTING – RESULTS TO BE REVEALED TODAY AT NGON

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Multi-vendor demo showcases new dynamic behavior uses cases and deployment scenarios

Nice, France—June 26, 2018 – Following a six week testing period, the OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) today announced the conclusion of its 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) multi-vendor interoperability demonstration. The much-anticipated demo results will be revealed during a public read-out event being held today from 10:00am-12:00pm at NGON & DCI Europe 2018 in Nice, France. ClicktoTweet

Additionally, Juan Pedro Fernández Palacios, Head of Unit, Telefónica will discuss Telefonica’s view of the demo results and use cases during his NGON keynote presentation tomorrow, June 27th.

“In bringing together service providers and optical networking vendors to demonstrate new SDN deployment scenarios including dynamic-behavior use cases, the OIF in collaboration with MEF has taken another important step towards providing the foundation for service providers to efficiently deliver dynamic multi-domain connectivity services to market,” stated Heidi Adams, Senior Research Director, IP & Optical Networks, IHS Markit. “With the 2018 demo event, the T-API 2.0 interface from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) is on its way to becoming a standard northbound interface (NBI) to SDN transport network controllers.”

OIF, in collaboration with MEF, is leading the industry toward the validation and widespread commercialization of T-API 2.0 from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) as a standard northbound interface (NBI) to transport network controllers.

The multi-vendor demo led by four network operator labs included lab deployed and cloud deployed systems testing new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios. The demo also incorporated service provisioning scenarios at the LSO Presto reference point in the MEF LSO architecture, using the MEF NRP Interface Profile Specification (MEF 60), which defines extensions to T-API in support of Carrier Ethernet services.

“The OIF SDN Interoperability demonstration has successfully brought together carriers, vendors and integrators with a common goal of moving to an open API (TAPI),” said Jack Pugaczewski, Distinguished Architect, CenturyLink. “T-API is a key enabler for providing automated service fulfillment and assurance. We have tested the Connectivity, Topology and Notification software patterns that T-API provides. Common APIs reduce design, development and deployment cycles for all involved, thus getting to market faster and realizing the financial benefits of automation.”

Participating network operators were CenturyLink, China Telecom, SK Telecom and Telefónica and vendors included ADVA, Coriant, Infinera, NEC/Netcracker, Nokia and SM Optics. Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) was a participating academic institution and TELUS Communications participated as a consulting network operator.

Additionally, two private events detailing the test results will be held with participating network operators: CenturyLink on July 10 in Denver, Colorado and China Telecom on July 19 in Beijing. Members of the media and analyst community interested in attending, please contact leah@wilkinson.associates.

“The OIF’s goal for interop events is to improve the quality and clarity of specifications being tested,” explained Jonathan Sadler, OIF VP and Networking & Operations Interoperability Working Group Chair. “As the tests were performed, we noted possible points for misunderstanding and places where the specifications may be enhanced. These results will be liaised to ONF and MEF for review at future meetings.”

A technical white paper and an executive summary of the demo result will be available in August.

An infographic of the demo is

Additional information can be found at 2018 OIF SDN T-API INTEROP DEMO

2018 OIF SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration

Committed to accelerating the commercialization of transport SDN worldwide, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), in collaboration with MEF, will bring new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios into network operator labs around the world to test multi-vendor interoperability of the industry leading T-API 2.0 northbound interface (NBI) from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). The 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) interoperability demonstration builds on the OIF’s 2016 interoperability test and demonstration which addressed multi-layer and multi-domain environments as well as on the 2014 demo which prototyped the use of Northbound APIs and helped advance transport SDN standardization. For an infographic of the demo, click here.

About the OIF

The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com

 

PR Contact:

 

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for the OIF

Email: leah@wilkinson.associates

Office: +1-703-907-0010

OIF ANNOUNCES READ-OUT EVENT FOR SDN TRANSPORT API INTEROPERABILITY DEMO TO BE HELD AT NGON OPTICAL MASTERCLASS

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May 22, 2018  Leah Wilkinson

Demo aimed at accelerating commercialization of Transport SDN

Fremont, Calif.—May 22, 2018 – The OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) today announced plans for its public read-out events to present the results of the 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) interoperability demonstration. This year’s demo, in collaboration with MEF, is focused on accelerating the commercialization of Transport SDN through validating the industry leading T-API 2.0 northbound interface (NBI) from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). ClicktoTweet

The multi-vendor demo includes testing new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios by network operators CenturyLink, China Telecom, SK Telecom and Telefónica. Participating vendors include ADVA, Coriant, Infinera, NEC/Netcracker, Nokia and SM Optics. Centre Tecnològic Telecomunicacions Catalunya is the participating academic and/or research institution and TELUS Communications is participating as a consulting network operator.

This year’s demo incorporates service provisioning scenarios at the LSO Presto reference point in the MEF LSO architecture, using the MEF NRP Interface Profile Specification (MEF 60), which defines T-API extensions in support of Carrier Ethernet services.

“The OIF multi-vendor interop testing is particularly important to Telefónica’s network transformation. We are anxious to validate T-API as the standard NBI for Transport SDN and announce the results in June,” said Juan Pedro Fernández Palacios, Telefónica.

The results of the demo will be presented during a featured workshop and keynote presentation at NGON & DCI Europe 2018, the world’s leading strategic and technical optical networks event being held in Nice, France, and during two private events at participating network operator labs.

Public Event: NGON & DCI Europe 2018 (Nice, France), Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 10:00am-12:00pm

Optical Masterclass: Speakers will discuss how OIF is assuring interoperability in open, agile next generation optical networks and present updates on critical projects including CEI-56G and CEI-112G, FlexE 2.0, 400ZR and Transport SDN.

Agenda:

  • Welcome & Overview – Dave Brown, OIF President, Nokia
  • Physical & Link Layer Working Group (PLL WG) Overview – Karl Gass, OIF PLL WG Vice Chair Optical, OIF
  • FlexE 2.0 – Dave Ofelt, OIF PLL WG Vice Chair Protocol, Juniper Networks
  • Networking Projects Overview – Lyndon Ong, OIF Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair – Networking, Ciena
  • SDN Transport API Work/Interoperability Demonstration – Jonathan Sadler, OIF Board Member and Networking Interoperability Working Group Chair, Coriant

Additionally, Palacios, Head of Unit at Telefónica, will discuss the demo results and present use cases during his keynote presentation – Transport API: Standardization status, interoperability tests and use cases – on June 27th at NGON.

Invitation-Only: CenturyLink and China Telecom

Two invitation-only read-out events will be held in July. CenturyLink will hold a private read-out event on July 10 in Denver, Colorado and China Telecom will host a private read-out in Beijing on July 19. Members of the media and analyst community interested in attending, please contact leah@wilkinson.associates.

A technical white paper and an executive summary of the demo result will be available in August.

Additional information can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/2018-oif-sdn-t-api-demo/

 

About the OIF

The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com

 

PR Contact:

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for the OIF

Email: leah@wilkinson.associates

Office: +1-703-907-0010

OIF CONFIRMS PARTICIPANTS FOR 2018 JOINT-NETWORK OPERATOR, MULTI-VENDOR SDN TRANSPORT API INTEROPERABILITY DEMONSTRATION

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April 10, 2018  Liz Smeds

Focused on accelerating the commercialization of transport SDN, leading global network operators and vendors will test new, more dynamic use cases

Fremont, Calif. —April 10, 2018 – Committed to accelerating the commercialization of transport SDN worldwide, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) today announced plans for its 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) interoperability demonstration. In collaboration with MEF, this year’s demonstration will bring new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios into network operator labs around the world to test and validate the industry leading T-API 2.0 northbound interface (NBI) from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF).

The 2018 event builds on the OIF’s previous 2016 interoperability test and demonstration which addressed multi-layer and multi-domain environments as well as on the 2014 demo which prototyped the use of Northbound APIs and helped advance transport SDN standardization. The event will also incorporate service provisioning scenarios at the LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) Presto reference point in the MEF LSO architecture, using the MEF NRP Interface Profile Specification (MEF 60), which defines T-API extensions in support of MEF Carrier Ethernet services.

Network operators are rapidly moving toward giving customers and their applications the ability to dynamically control services, and do it in real-time. The days of waiting for service changes will soon be a thing of the past. To achieve this, they need the ability to dynamically move capacity quickly in open networks to avoid network congestion and provide better services to customers.

“With network operators leading the charge for more dynamic and open networks, there has to be widespread adoption of transport SDN. Through working through the specifications, rigorous interoperability testing and validation, this year’s demo is intended to substantiate T-API as the NBI of choice,” said Dave Brown, Nokia and OIF President. “We also look forward to our collaboration with MEF and the depth of expertise the organization brings to this demonstration.”

“MEF is pleased to contribute our LSO Presto NRP API work in support of the OIF SDN Transport API Interop Demo as we advance toward a common goal of orchestrating dynamic services over automated networks powered by SDN and LSO,” said Pascal Menezes, CTO, MEF. “This is exactly the type of collaboration that we need to accelerate industry innovation and deliver lasting value for service providers and their end customers.”

“The work done by OIF is critically important to network operators around the world as we work to provide our customers with better services and higher efficiency, which will definitely help the monetization of our network capacity,” said Dr. Junjie Li, China Telecom and OIF Network Operator Working Group Chair.

The international joint-network operator, multi-vendor optical networking interoperability demonstration includes network operator hosts CenturyLink, China Telecom, SK Telecom and Telefonica and participating vendors include ADVA Optical Networking SE, Coriant, NEC/Netcracker, Nokia, SM Optics and ZTE Corporation. Centre Tecnològic Telecomunicacions Catalunya is the participating academic and/or research institution and TELUS Communications is participating as a consulting network operator.

Regional demonstration read-out events will take place in mid-2018 (June/July) and a whitepaper describing the event will be available to the public following the announcement of the results. Additional information can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/2018-oif-sdn-t-api-demo/

2018 OIF SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration

Committed to accelerating the commercialization of transport SDN worldwide, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), in collaboration with MEF, will bring new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios into network operator labs around the world to test multi-vendor interoperability of the industry leading T-API 2.0 northbound interface (NBI) from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). The 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) interoperability demonstration builds on the OIF’s 2016 interoperability test and demonstration which addressed multi-layer and multi-domain environments as well as on the 2014 demo which prototyped the use of Northbound APIs and helped advance transport SDN standardization.

Regional demonstration read-out events will take place in Summer 2018 and a whitepaper will be available to the public. Additional information can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/2018-oif-sdn-t-api-demo/

About the OIF

The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com

 

PR Contact: 

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for the OIF

Email: leah@wilkinson.associates

Office: +1-703-907-0010

OIF Updates Micro Intradyne Coherent Receiver IA for Beyond 100G Applications

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Forum soliciting input for next global interop demo

Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) members recently approved important updates to the Micro Intradyne Coherent Receiver implementation agreement. The IA introduces three classes of receivers, distinguished by their RF frequency response, to support Flex Coherent DWDM transmission to 400G and beyond.

The OIF continues its efforts to look beyond 100G by selecting a 400G implementation technology option. The newly published Flex Coherent DWDM Transmission framework document specifies a single technical approach for diverse network applications, including long-haul (LH), metro and data center inter-connection (DCI).  One of the objectives of this work is to provide direction on the technical developments required by system and component providers.

“Our system vendor members continue to flow down future system requirements so that component suppliers can be ready with products to support their designs,” said Karl Gass of Qorvo and the OIF’s Physical and Link Layer Working Group – Optical Vice Chair.

Global transport SDN interop demo survey for service providers

The OIF is planning its next global transport SDN Interop demo.  Building on the successful OIF 2016 Global SDN Transport API Interoperability Demo, the goal is to show APIs at work in key commercial transport SDN use cases. The OIF is seeking input from the service provider community, including those that have not participated in past interop demonstrations.  Click here to complete the anonymous survey by September 8, 2017 and help shape the next interop demo.

OIF Elections

The following officers were re-elected to one-year terms:

Klaus-Holger Otto of Nokia – Technical Committee, Chair; Ed Frlan of Semtech – Technical Committee, Vice Chair; Lyndon Ong of Ciena – MA&E Committee Co-Chair, Networking; Brian Holden of Kandou Bus – MA&E Committee Co-Chair, Physical & Link Layer.

OIF Day at Telefonica – Sept. 26th, Madrid, Spain

This event will be an interactive and educational workshop featuring OIF and Telefonica subject matter experts including Juan Pedro Fernandez Palacios, Head of “Core Network Evolution” for Telefonica. Topics will include OIF projects and directions, SDN for transport optical networks, and interoperability in disaggregated networks. With this exclusive event, the OIF is directly reaching out to understand service provider challenges and strategies, unlike any other forum. This event is open to all OIF Principal members and Telefonica.

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

OIF Approves Virtual Transport Network Service Implementation Agreement

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Tad Hofmeister of Google joins board of directors

Members of the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) recently met in Ljubljana, Slovenia for a quarterly technical committee and approved an implementation agreement (IA) for an optical Virtual Transport Network Service.  They also made progress on the 400G-ZR project and were given a presentation on 100G and Beyond by Andre Pucko of Telekom Slovenije d.d.  Additionally, Tad Hofmeister of Google joins the board of directors, filling an open seat.

A Virtual Transport Network Service (VTNS) is the creation and offering of a Virtual Network (VN) by a provider to a user and is built on the virtualization of transport network resources. VNs may be dynamically created, deleted, or modified and users can perform connection management, connection monitoring and connection protection within their VN.

“Development of Transport SDN (Software Defined Networking) will enable service providers to offer new revenue generating services,”  said Lyndon Ong of Ciena and the OIF’s Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Networking. “VTNS is one class of services of interest to many operators and can become a main driver for the deployment of SDN in their transport networks.”

In specifying the new VTNS IA, OIF identifies the requirements and characteristics of different virtual network service types, such as dynamic and static behaviors, as well as the attributes and parameters required for these service types and the requirements for support of service recovery and OAM. Different types of VTNS could be associated with operators offering, for example, Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) services, Network as a Service (NaaS) or Network Slicing for 5G Networking.

400G-ZR Project Update

The OIF’s 400G-ZR Interoperability project addresses both 400G ZR and short-reach DWDM multivendor interoperability such as might be required for cloud scale data center interconnect (DCI). The project made progress at the Q2 meeting by receiving 10 technical contributions addressing considerations such as power consumption of DSP, FEC proposals and experimental demos.  The work will continue to move forward with scheduled conference calls before the Q3 meeting.

OIF at Optinet China

OIF board member Junjie Li of China Telecom will speak at Optinet China in Beijing on June 13, 2017 at 12:25 pm.  Mr. Li will present “OIF Interop – the Key to Unlocking the Benefits of SDN”.

For more information on this presentation and other conferences that the OIF is speaking at click here.

About the OIF

The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

Plethora of OIF Activities at OFC 2017

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The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) announced today  an abundance of activities and demos at OFC 2017 in Los Angeles, March 21-23.  The OIF is hosting live demonstrations showing 56Gbps, CFP2-ACO and FlexEthernet by 11 OIF member companies.  The Forum will share details from its SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration which concluded in December of 2016 and, finally, the OIF is offering a half day 100G Serial Electrical Interconnect Needs workshop, which is open to the public.

OIF Delivers on Enabling Next Generation Networks!

OIF member companies have teamed up to demonstrate significant progress in delivering an interoperable ecosystem of suppliers and solutions for critical market needs:

  • 56Gbps live electrical signaling over all reaches
  • CFP2-ACO Optical Interoperability
  • FlexE (Flex Ethernet)

Public demonstrations will be on display March 21-23, 2017 at OFC in OIF Booth #3853. Additional information can be found here.

 

OIF Presentation: Enabling Next Generation Physical Layer Solutions

This session will cover the operating, live, interoperability demonstrations that OIF members are displaying in booth #3853. The panelists will discuss the OIF Implementation Agreement development work that has led to these demos and provide an update on the current status.  In addition, some of the OIF’s new, future work in process will be discussed.

This session will take place Tuesday, March 21, 2017 – 1:45pm–2:45pm – in Expo Theater III

Moderator: Steve Sekel, Keysight Technologies, Inc., OIF PLL Interoperability WG Chair

Panelists: Ed Frlan, Semtech, OIF Technical Committee Vice Chair; Karl Gass, OIF PLL WG Optical Vice Chair; Tad Hofmeister, Google, OIF Representative

 

SDN Transport API Interoperability Demo Public Read-Out

The OIF helps operators unlock the benefits of SDN for their optical networks through three interrelated projects:  interop demonstrations hosted by participating operators leveraging key interfaces such as the Transport API to bind together multi-layer and multi-domain carrier networks; Implementation Agreements that document new interoperability industry standards; and a new certification program that will address the gap between paper specifications or early implementations and products that carriers can realistically deploy.  Learn how these help realize commercial Transport SDN deployment and the promised benefits of accelerated time-to-revenue coupled with increased operational efficiency.

This session will take place Tuesday, March 21, 2017 – 3:00pm-4:00 pm – in Expo Theater III

Moderator: Dave Brown, Nokia, OIF President.

Panelists: Jonathan Sadler, Coriant, OIF Board Member and Networking Interoperability WG Chair; Lyndon Ong, Ciena, OIF MA&E Committee co-chair Networking; Victor Lopez, Telefonica.

 

OIF Workshop – 100G Serial Electrical Interconnect Needs

The OIF will host a half-day workshop focusing on potential electrical link and interconnect technologies being developed to support serial data rates of 100 Gb/s and higher. The workshop, which is open to the public, will give an industry view and dicuss the application spaces for the next generation interconnects, including Networking Trends and Cloud Scale applications.

Thursday, March 23, 2017 – 12pm-6pm

Los Angeles Convention Center

Level Two, West Hall – Room 518

To register for the workshop, click here.

Workshop Agenda

12:00pm: Registration and Box Lunches

12:30pm: Intro – Tom Palkert, OIF PLL WG Electrical Vice Chair, Molex

1:00pm: Industry Analyst – Alan Weckel, 650 Group

Session 1 – User Demand

  • High Level Systems – Katharine Schmidtke, Facebook
  • Equipment Perspective – Andreas Bechtolsheim, Arista

Session 2 – Component Suppliers’ Vision

  • Optics – Mark Nowell, Cisco
  • SERDES/semiconductor – Bart Zeydel, MACOM
  • Alternate Modulation – David Stauffer, Kandou Bus
  • Copper cable/connector/PCB trace – Greg Walz, Molex

5:15pm: Wrap-up – Nathan Tracy, OIF VP of Marketing, TE Connectivity

 

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

OIF Concludes SDN Transport API Interoperability Testing

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The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) conducted a six-week long global testing of the Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) standard from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). The OIF managed the multi-location demonstration which started in mid-October 2016 and concluded in December 2016.  Vendor participants executed a multi-domain path selection and recovery test plan with intra-lab and inter-lab testing across five carrier labs located in Asia, Europe and North America. A technical white paper on the demonstration is available to download here.

“As operators move from SDN PoCs and lab trials into commercial deployments, lack of interoperability between the SDN controllers and the orchestration layer above has quickly become the biggest technical barrier for many operators,” said Sterling Perrin, principal analyst, Heavy Reading. “Building a standardized northbound interface and successfully testing interoperability across different vendors and different networks – as the OIF has demonstrated – is a major step forward in addressing the northbound interface challenge and bringing SDN architectures to wide-scale commercial use.”

OIF SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) are leading the industry toward the wide scale deployment of commercial SDN by testing key Transport Application Programming Interfaces (T-API). The interoperability test and demonstration, managed by the OIF, addresses multi-layer and multi-domain environments in the following carrier labs; China Telecom, China Unicom, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Verizon. These carriers defined real world use cases including multi-domain orchestration of services delivered through Ethernet, OTN and optical switching. Carriers and vendors demonstrated how Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and SDN configured connectivity are combined to deliver service life cycle management.

Participating vendors include ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, Coriant, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Infinera, Juniper Networks, NEC Corporation, Sedona Systems, and SM Optics. Consulting carriers include Orange and TELUS.  Academic and/or research institution participants include China Academy of Telecommunication Research (CATR) and Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC).

Additional information can be found here.

Participants in the OIF Transport SDN interoperability event also submitted a proof of concept demo proposal to ETSI NFV.  The proposal, “Mapping ETSI-NFV onto Multi-Vendor, Multi-Domain Transport SDN”, was accepted and details are located here. The open demonstration of NFV concepts in a Proof of Concept (PoC) helps to build industrial awareness and confidence in NFV as a viable technology. Proofs of Concept also help to develop a diverse, open, NFV ecosystem. Results from PoCs may guide the work in the NFV ISG by providing feedback on interoperability and other technical challenges.

“Being able to dynamically establish connectivity between Virtual Network Functions enables carriers to provide greater service agility and reduce opex,” said Jonathan Sadler, of Coriant and the OIF Interoperability chair.  “Integrating multiple technologies using transport SDN further enables the right connectivity mechanisms used for service delivery.  Having this demonstration recognized by ETSI NFV provides building blocks for the development of future SDN-WAN.”

Public Read-Out Event at OFC 2017

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 – 3:00-4:00 pm

Theater III, Los Angeles Convention Center

Moderator: Dave Brown, OIF President, Nokia.

Panelists: Jonathan Sadler, OIF Board Member, Coriant; Lyndon Ong, OIF MA&E Committee co-chair Networking, Ciena; Victor Lopez, Telefonica.

http://www.ofcconference.org/en-us/home/exhibit-hall/show-floor-programming/oif-interop-%E2%80%93-the-key-to-unlocking-the-benefits-of/

“SK Telecom is delighted that we have successfully tested interoperability using SK Telecom’s Transport Infra Orchestrator and T-API. The test proves that standardized T-API can be used to control multi-layer, multi-vendor transport network infrastructure in an integrated manner,”

said Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center at SK Telecom. “SK Telecom will continue to make efforts to develop 5G and network virtualization technologies to realize Network as a Service (NaaS).”

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

OIF Announces SDN Transport API Demo Read-Out Events

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The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is winding down a six-week long interoperability demo on the Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) standard from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF).   The demo started in mid-October and will conclude in early December.  Participants executed a multi-domain path selection and recovery test plan with intra-lab and inter-lab testing across multiple global carrier labs. The results of the demo will be shared in three invitation-only read-out events at China Telecom, Telefonica and Verizon for participating companies. A public readout event will take place at the OFC Conference in Los Angeles, March 21, 2017.

“China Telecom is pleased to once again host the Global Transport SDN demo in our lab in Beijing.  Transport API for SDN is an important technology to simplify the maintenance and increase the efficiency of networks, which matches China Telecom’s CTNet2025 network re-architecting target.” said Mr. Chengliang Zhang, Vice President, China Telecom Beijing Research Institute. “This demo provided interesting and important results and key findings and was worthwhile for China Telecom to participate.”

“Telefonica is happy to have participated in the OIF SDN demo and to have hosted vendors in our labs,” said Mr. Juan Pedro Fernández-Palacios, Head of Transport Telefónica GCTO.  “The work to demonstrate interoperability for transport API among multiple vendors is important for the industry as a means to unlock and reap the expected benefits of SDN.”

“Shaping next-generation technology through discussion and collaboration is key to commercial SDN deployment. Verizon’s role as a host carrier for OIF’s interoperability testing of the global SDN T-API underscores our commitment to solving problems that will help evolve the efficiencies needed in the next-generation network,” said Glenn Wellbrock, director, transport network architecture, design and planning, Verizon.

Public Event at OFC 2017

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 – 3:00-4:00pm

Theater III, Los Angeles Convention Center

Moderator: Dave Brown, OIF President, Nokia.

Panelists: Jonathan Sadler, OIF Board Member, Coriant; Lyndon Ong, OIF MA&E Committee co-chair Networking, Ciena; Victor Lopez, Telefonica.

http://www.ofcconference.org/en-us/home/exhibit-hall/show-floor-programming/oif-interop-%E2%80%93-the-key-to-unlocking-the-benefits-of/

A technical white paper and an executive summary of the demo will be available in early February.

2016 OIF SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration

The OIF and the ONF are partnering to lead the industry toward the wide scale deployment of commercial SDN by testing key Transport Application Programming Interfaces (T-API). The interoperability test and demonstration, managed by the OIF, will address multi-layer and multi-domain environments in global carrier labs. The testing builds on the 2014 demo which was based on prototype T-APIs and helped advance transport SDN standardization. Additional use cases based upon the API standards will be clarified during the testing and defined through OIF implementation agreements to provide a common set of requirements. Global Carrier participants hosting the interoperability testing include China Telecom, China Unicom, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Verizon.

Participating vendors include ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, Coriant, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Infinera, Juniper Networks, NEC Corporation, Sedona Systems, and SM Optics. Consulting carriers include Orange and TELUS.  Academic and/or research institution participants include China Academy of Telecommunication Research (CATR) and Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC).

Additional information can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/2016-oif-sdn-t-api-demo/

 

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

OIF Partners With UNH-IOL to Certify Optical Control Plane UNI

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Enables Multi-vendor, Multi-layer Interoperability Using RSVP-TE Signaling

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) today announced an agreement with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL), an independent provider of testing and standards conformance services for the networking industry, to provide certification for Optical Control Plane User Network Interfaces (UNI) based on industry standards.  In line with OIF’s mission to enable global interoperability in optical transport networks, the Forum’s certification program will address the interoperability of optical and packet products, complementing OIF’s work on unlocking the benefits of SDN for carriers.

While an optical control plane is already deployed by a large number of operators around the world, interoperability between vendors is constrained by lack of an interoperable UNI. Multi-vendor interoperability of the optical control plane remains absent from commercial products, although various demonstrations have proven it is feasible.  The optical control plane facilitates operations and enables dynamic provisioning, restoration and optimization across optical networks. The UNI extends these capabilities to client nodes and the OIF’s UNI certification will help enable the availability of control plane interoperability in commercial products.

“The advent of interoperability in optical networks is a paradigm shift, which will dramatically increase flexibility and innovation in our networks,” said Philippe Lucas, SVP Strategy Architecture and Standards of Orange. “The OIF certification is a step to unlock the market by providing a unique reference and a critical market advantage to compliant, interoperable products.”

“The benefits of multi-vendor interoperability combined with certification can help broaden and accelerate the market for optical products, reduce costs, introduce new features and operational agility,” said Timothy Winters, Senior Executive of UNH-IOL.  “Certification can fulfill operator’s and vendor’s requirements with reduced repetitive testing and a higher level of confidence when going to market.”

“Development of the UNI certification test specification is happening at an important time in our industry,” said Tim Doiron, Principal Analyst Intelligent Networking, ACG Research.  “We’ve never gotten the optical domain out of vendor isolation when it comes to the optical control plane. Certification and interoperability will aid service providers in their migration toward a multi-vendor programmable, dynamic optical underlay with increasing automation, service agility and reduced operational costs.”

The Optical Control Plane UNI Certification Program

The new certification program, along with OIF’s well established and successful interop testing process and implementation agreements, helps the industry realize open, programmable and interoperable optical networks in commercial deployments, bringing to reality the promised benefits of transport SDN, with accelerated time-to-revenue coupled with increased operational efficiency. 

  • Certification is based on compliance with relevant industry standards including IETF RFCs on RSVP-TE signaling.
  • Addresses the main use cases enabled by an optical control plane, including simplified provisioning, automated path selection, dynamic restoration and multi-layer optimization.
  • Enables several deployment cases which are of primary importance to operators and require immediate interoperability, including IP/WDM integration, packet-optical interconnect, multilayer optimization and alien wavelength deployments.
  • Contributes to OIF efforts to unlock the benefits of SDN for flexible networks
  • Facilitates multi-vendor deployments.

Development of the UNI certification test specification is starting now. Visit the OIF webpage for more information. Formal testing of participating vendor products will start early 2017 and pre-testing is already open at UNH-IOL. The first OIF certified products are expected to be on the market in approximately 12 months from now.

About the OIF

Launched in 1998, the OIF is the first industry group to unite representatives from data and optical networking disciplines, including many of the world’s leading carriers, component manufacturers and system vendors. The OIF promotes the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services through the creation of Implementation Agreements (IAs) for optical, interconnect, network processing, component and networking systems technologies. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of standards bodies and industry forums with the goal of promoting worldwide compatibility of optical internetworking products.  Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

About the UNH-IOL

Founded in 1988, the UNH-IOL provides independent, broad-based interoperability and standards conformance testing for data, telecommunications and storage networking products and technologies. Combining extensive staff experience, standards-bodies participation and a 28,000+ square foot facility, the UNH-IOL helps companies efficiently and cost effectively deliver products to the market. http://www.iol.unh.edu/

To drive adoption of SDN, OIF demonstrates Transport Application Programming Interface (TAPI)

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Ovum view

The goal of networking standards groups is to establish multivendor/multicarrier standards that interoperate. To achieve that goal, the OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) is conducting a global interoperability demo to test software-defined networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interfaces (TAPI) among 5 global carriers and 11 system and software vendors. The tests cover services across optical, IP, and virtual appliance layers to see how services interact across the different vendors. In 1Q17, all issues identified will be presented to users and standard organizations to improve the performance and adoption of SDN. In doing this work, the OIF is performing a necessary step to drive adoption of multilayer and multivendor SDN.

OIF’s demonstration will lead to faster adoption of multilayer SDN

The OIF has been working to accelerate the deployment of new optical technology since its founding in 1998. In its 2014 demonstration of SDN transport architecture, the OIF established the need for common APIs for end-to-end orchestration for a multidomain network. Now, it is testing the Open Networking Foundation’s (ONF’s) SDN TAPI across 11 system participants: Adva, Ciena, Coriant, FiberHome, Huawei Technologies, Infinera, Juniper Networks, NEC Corporation, Sedona, SM Optics, and ZTE, with the support of five carriers – China Telecom, China Unicom, SK Telecom, Telefonica, and Verizon. The goal is to identify gaps in the current standards and work with standard bodies to address those gaps.

The demonstrations will abstract the topology for each carrier, including a virtual network in another carrier, setup of dynamic VNFs (virtual network functions), dynamic-connect IP services, and restore/setup of intra-lab optical connections. Each of these demonstrations will help vendors, carriers, and standard bodies see how complete the solutions are, and what needs to be done to progress multilayer interoperability between vendors and carriers.

Overall, the OIF is helping to move SDN and NFV (network functions virtualization) forward with the test of SDN TAPI. Vendors will benefit from knowing what applications need more work, and carriers will benefit from knowing how adoption of SDN/NFV can work across vendors and carriers so they can speed investment.

For full article go to: https://www.ovum.com/to-drive-adoption-of-sdn-oif-demonstrates-transport-application-programming-interface-tapi/

Author

Donald Frey, Principal Analyst, Intelligent Networks

don.frey@informa.com

OIF Announces Plans for SDN Transport API Interoperability Demonstration

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The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) announced today plans for a global Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) interoperability demonstration in the fall of 2016. The OIF is partnering with the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of open SDN, to take the testing into carrier labs worldwide and lead the industry towards the wide-scale deployment of commercial SDN. Network virtualization and flexibility to deal with peak traffic events, link failures and network slicing are driving motivations behind the demonstration. Currently the transport layer operates with no awareness of the packet layer above it, so manual intervention is often needed to address issues. By incorporating the T-API, the problems can be corrected automatically through software.

Host carriers for the demonstration include China Telecom, China Unicom, SK Telecom, Telefónica and Verizon. Participating vendors include ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, Coriant, Fiberhome, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Juniper Networks, NEC Corporation, Sedona Systems, SM Optics and ZTE. Consulting carriers include Orange and TELUS.  Academic and/or research institution participants include China Academy of Telecommunication Research (CATR) and Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC).

“In the modern operating environment, carriers need to dynamically move capacity to handle quickly changing traffic demands,” said Jonathan Sadler of Coriant and the OIF’s technical committee vice chair and acting networking interoperability chair. “The APIs that are being tested create a new breed of applications. Like so many of the interoperability agreements developed by the OIF, demand from carriers continues to drive the technical direction of the Forum.”

“ONF and the OIF are united in our goal of moving these technical advances into the market for the benefit of network operators and their users,” said Dan Pitt, executive director of the Open Networking Foundation. “We are pleased to extend our longstanding collaboration with the OIF on T-API, leveraging OIF’s specialized optical expertise, and these demonstrations inspire operators and vendors alike to accelerate development and deployment.”

One main focus of the global demonstration is the notification interface – the means for notifying applications that congestion is being observed, triggering moving around of traffic and addition of capacity. Additional use cases based upon the API standards will be clarified during the testing and defined through OIF implementation agreements to provide a common set of requirements. Regional demonstration read-out events will take place in early 2017 and a whitepaper describing the event will be available to the public. Additional information can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/2016-oif-sdn-t-api-demo/.

 

About the OIF
Launched in 1998, the OIF is the first industry group to unite representatives from data and optical networking disciplines, including many of the world’s leading carriers, component manufacturers and system vendors. The OIF promotes the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services through the creation of Implementation Agreements (IAs) for optical, interconnect, network processing, component and networking systems technologies. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of standards bodies and industry forums with the goal of promoting worldwide compatibility of optical internetworking products.  Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

OIF to Display 400G CEI 56G Interfaces, Discuss SDN Work at ECOC

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The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) will showcase the “Next Generation of Pluggable Modules” to ECOC attendees at the Forum’s booth #345 in Valencia, Spain, September 28-30. OIF representatives will also present sessions on the Forum’s latest work on 400G and SDN.

On September 25th, the OIF and global telecom carrier Orange will host an interactive and educational workshop at the Orange Labs in Issy les Moulineaux near Paris. The event features subject matter experts from the OIF and Orange addressing intelligent optical networking, Transport SDN and 400G, as well as OIF projects and directions.  This event is the latest of a series of OIF Day programs held with select carriers and optical vendors to inform them on the latest developments in optical network physical and control interfaces and exchange views on future directions in the optical networking industry.

 OIF at ECOC – “Enabling the Next Generation of Pluggable Modules”

The OIF will show 56Gb/s NRZ and PAM4 electrical interfaces as well as pluggable coherent optics demonstrations at ECOC in booth #345. The demonstration will include CFP2-ACO, showing key components of the ecosystem necessary to accelerate the movement of coherent optics into the pluggable realm. The two Common Electrical Interface (CEI) demos address the fourth generation CEI-56G. These demos show the next generation electrical data rates in chip to module implementations. The current efforts include the definition of both PAM4 and NRZ modulations to enable 56Gb/s electrical interfaces across diverse industry applications.

OIF Presentations at ECOC Market Focus Theater

Monday, September 28 – 2:05-2:35 pm
Topic: OIF’s CEI 56G Interfaces – Key Building Blocks for Optics in Next Generation 400G Data Centers
Presenter: Ed Frlan, OIF Physical & Link Layer Interoperability Working Group Chair, Semtech

Tuesday, September 29 – 1:35-2:05 pm
Topic: Gearing up for Transport SDN Deployment – a starter kit for early adopters
Presenters: Christophe Betoule, Orange and Jonathan Sadler, OIF Technical Committee Vice Chair, Coriant

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

 

OIF Publishes Transport SDN Framework Document

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Key Findings from 2014 Demo Inspires Framework Architecture

Fremont, Calif. – May 19, 2015 –Following a 2014 prototype demonstration event, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has approved an SDN Framework whitepaper that paves the way for implementation of SDN in Carrier Networks. The whitepaper, titled “Framework for Transport SDN:  Components and APIs”, documents the SDN framework for multi-domain carrier networks.  It identifies critical open APIs for Transport SDN based on synthesis of the SDN layered architecture and the ITU-T ASON functional element model for optical network control.

SDN identifies interfaces separating infrastructure and control layers, and control layer from application layer.  The interface between infrastructure and control layers is termed the SouthBound Interface or SBI, the interface between control and application layers is termed the NorthBound Interface or NBI, and provides APIs to the application.

“In 2014, the prototype demonstration brought together multiple vendors and carriers to test cloud-bursting services, utilizing SDN principles and interfaces,” said Lyndon Ong of Ciena and co-chair of the OIF Market Awareness & Education Committee.  “The demonstration results factored into the development of a framework that allows SDN to be deployed over a carrier’s network with multiple, diverse domains.”

One of the key findings from the demonstration was that the separation introduced by the NBI and SBI enables SDN to be applied over greenfield (i.e., OpenFlow) and brownfield environments, allowing integration of domains controlled by management systems and domains using existing distributed control planes as well as centralized SDN.  A variety of SBI protocols could coexist in the carrier’s Transport SDN network, including the OpenFlow protocol, with extensions for optical networks.

NBI is an area of particular importance; by providing access to ASON functional elements, the NBI opens up access to the network control plane and provides greater programmability of services, improving the speed of service deployment and overall manageability of the network.  Functional elements accessible via NBI in this framework include Call Control, Connection Control, Topology and Path Computation.

The document assesses where existing protocols may be used to support NBI access.  In addition to existing protocols, there are benefits from defining new REST-based interfaces such as were prototyped in the demo, based on a common information model.

For a copy of the SDN framework document http://www.oiforum.com/documents/technical-white-papers/

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com

OIF Members Lead the Industry in 56G Interfaces and Pluggable Coherent Optics

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Collaboration Results in Groundbreaking Work

Fremont, Calif. – Feb. 24, 2015– Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) members are leading the market again in a live technology demonstration at OFC 2015 in Los Angeles, March 24-26, 2015, booth #613. The OIF Technology Showcase 2015 – It’s Happening Now – 56G Electrical Interfaces and Pluggable Coherent Optics will highlight the OIF‘s groundbreaking technology work. The Forum’s 4th generation Common Electrical Interface, CEI-56G, enables users to achieve new heights in CEI data rates. The technology showcase event will also demonstrate the OIF’s CFP2-ACO technology, a coherent optics transceiver module in a CFP2 form factor, an optimal medium-term solution to maximize faceplate density and minimize install costs for metro/regional DWDM and data center applications.

“The OIF has always demonstrated industry leadership, and this year at OFC is no exception,” says Nathan Tracy, technologist at TE Connectivity and the OIF technical committee chair. “From key industry presentations on Carrier, SDN, and physical layer topics, to demonstrating live hardware that conveys the progress on defining pluggable coherent optics, the OIF brings the sharpest minds in optical networking together to solve the toughest problems. Our work on 56Gb/s interoperable electrical channel agreements is addressing multiple modulation solutions. By attracting developers whose expertise range from test equipment to optics to electronics to connectors to equipment OEMs, the OIF is developing the ecosystems required by future datacomm architectures.”

Demos and Participants

Live and static displays at the OIF Technology Showcase 2015 – It’s Happening Now – 56G Electrical Interfaces and Pluggable Coherent Optics:

  • Live CEI-56G-VSR-NRZ Channel with Credo Semiconductor, Multilane, Tektronix, Yamaichi Electronics
  • Live CEI-56G-VSR-PAM QSFP Compliance Board with Anritsu, Molex, Multilane, TE Connectivity, Tektronix, Yamaichi Electronics
  • CEI-56G-VSR-PAM Optical Static Display (concept) with Molex, Multilane, TE Connectivity
  • Live CEI-56G-MR/LR-PAM Backplane with Keysight Technologies, Molex
  • Live CEI-56G-MR/LR-NRZ Backplane with Credo Semiconductor, Keysight Technologies, TE Connectivity
  • Live CEI-56G-MR-NRZ Passive Copper Cable with Credo Semiconductor, Keysight Technologies, Molex, TE Connectivity, Yamaichi Electronics
  • CFP2-Analog Coherent Optics – Pluggable Coherent Optics with Keysight Technologies, Multilane

Static displays of equipment aimed at developing the ecosystems for 56G electrical interfaces and pluggable coherent optics will include modules, test equipment, connectors, compliance boards, DSPs, drivers, transimpedance amplifiers and components from ClariPhy Communications, Finisar, Inphi, Kandou Bus, MACOM, Molex, MoSys, Multilane, NEC Corporation, Oclaro, Qorvo and TE Connectivity.

About the OIF Technology Showcase

OIF Technology Showcase 2015 – It’s Happening Now – 56G Electrical Interfaces and Pluggable Coherent Optics

OIF member companies will unite under the banner of the OIF to showcase multi-vendor participation in the OIF Technology Showcase 2015. The OIF’s Physical and Link Layer demonstration highlights live CEI-56G electrical interfaces. Also demonstrated is the emerging ecosystem for CFP2-ACO pluggable coherent optics, including subcomponents and test equipment.

A public demonstration will be on display at #OFC2015, March 24-26 in Los Angeles in booth #613. Additional info can be found at http://www.oiforum.com/meetings-and-events/oif-ofc-2015-2/

Presentations at OFC

Service Provider Summit – Panel 1: Value and Cost of Multi-Layer SDN
March 25, 2015 – 9:15am-10:45am
Panelist: Vishnu Shukla, OIF President

OIF Panel: Transport SDN – Clearing the Roadblocks to Wide-scale Commercial Deployment
March 25, 2015 – 2:00pm-3:00pm – EXPO Theater II
Moderator: Dave Brown, OIF VP of Marketing, Alcatel-Lucent
Lead Speaker: Vishnu Shukla, OIF President, Verizon
Speakers: Ruiquan Jing, China Telecom; Lyndon Ong, OIF MA&E Committee Co-Chair – Networking, Ciena; Jonathan Sadler, OIF Technical Committee Vice Chair, Coriant

OIF Panel: OIF CEI-56G – It’s Happening Now
March 26, 2015 -10:30am-11:30am – EXPO Theater II
Moderator: Nathan Tracy, OIF Technical Committee Chair, TE Connectivity
Speakers: Ed Frlan, OIF PLL Interoperability WG Chair, Semtech; Brian Holden, OIF MA&E Committee Co-Chair – PLL, Kandou Bus, S.A.; Tom Palkert, OIF PLL WG Vice Chair Electrical, MoSys

OIF Panel: System Architectures Using OIF CEI-56G Interfaces
March 26, 2015 – 11:30am-12:30pm – EXPO Theater II
Moderator: David Stauffer, OIF PLL WG Chair and Board Member, Kandou Bus, S.A.
Speakers: Ed Frlan, OIF PLL Interoperability WG Chair, Semtech; Edward Priest, Juniper Networks; Nathan Tracy, OIF Technical Committee Chair, TE Connectivity

 

About the OIF
The OIF facilitates the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services. Members collaborate to drive Implementation Agreements (IAs) and interoperability demonstrations to accelerate and maximize market adoption of advanced internetworking technologies. OIF work applies to optical and electrical interconnects, optical component and network processing technologies, and to network control and operations including software defined networks and network function virtualization. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies. Launched in 1998, the OIF is the only industry group uniting representatives from across the spectrum of networking, including many of the world’s leading service providers, system vendors, component manufacturers, software and testing vendors. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.

OIF Launches New Project to Identify APIs for Transport SDN

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Close on the heels of the joint Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and Open Networking Foundation (ONF) Global Transport SDN demonstration that concluded in October, the OIF has launched a new project to develop implementation agreements (IAs) for the application programming interfaces (APIs) used between application and network controller during the event. The new initiative will build on the Service Request and Topology APIs prototyped in the demonstration, culminating in IAs for use by carriers and equipment vendors. The new initiative will also create IAs for Service Request, Path Computation, Topology and Link Resource Manager interfaces that have been identified as part of the OIF’s upcoming SDN Framework document. The APIs to be delivered by the new project are based on REST and JSON principles enabling rapid and flexible application development.

“The prototype Transport SDN demonstration revealed a lack of definition for how user applications interact with transport network applications and resource functions,” said Jonathan Sadler, of Coriant and the OIF technical committee vice chair. “The programmability of Transport SDN requires some of the internal interfaces used by ASON to become open.”

In particular, a Service API is important as it allows applications to request connectivity services from the network. Having a common Service API allows a variety of applications to access services provided by the network, particularly in an environment with multiple domains with potentially different underlying control methods.

During the Global Transport SDN demonstration, different domains supported a number of South-Bound Interfaces (SBIs) with the Domain controller, including vendor-specific, standard OpenFlow version 1.3, and OpenFlow with optical extensions. The use of a common Service API allowed the same application to be tested across these heterogeneous domains.

Similarly, the Topology API allows applications to understand the connectivity available in the network.  A common Topology API allows a variety of applications to access network topology information, enabling support for new constraints and service criteria.

The Global Transport SDN demonstration implemented a prototype Topology API. Different domains exported their topology information enabling path computation to be performed outside of the controller.  These paths could then be requested using the Service API.  Additionally, the Service API responses had references to links and nodes in the topology, enabling the activated path to be shown.

Leadership Elections

The Forum conducted its annual leadership election with Doug Zuckerman of Applied Communication Sciences and Junjie Li with China Telecom elected to the OIF board of directors for one-year terms. Officers re-elected to two-year terms include Dave Brown of Alcatel-Lucent, vice president of marketing; Dave Stauffer, of Kandou Bus, secretary/treasurer; John McDonough, NEC Corp of America, vice president; and Torsten Wuth, of Coriant, Physical Layer User Group working group chair.

About the OIF
Launched in 1998, the OIF is the first industry group to unite representatives from data and optical networking disciplines, including many of the world’s leading carriers, component manufacturers and system vendors. The OIF promotes the development and deployment of interoperable networking solutions and services through the creation of Implementation Agreements (IAs) for optical, interconnect, network processing, component and networking systems technologies. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of standards bodies and industry forums with the goal of promoting worldwide compatibility of optical internetworking products. Information on the OIF can be found at http://www.oiforum.com.