OIF Continues Commitment to Interoperability with Two New Implementation Agreements – Specifications for CFP2-DCO and HB-CDM now available

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Fremont, Calif.—May 21, 2019 – OIF, the global industry forum accelerating market adoption of advanced interoperable optical networking solutions, has completed two new Implementation Agreements (IAs) — the CFP2-Digital Coherent Optics Module (CFP2-DCO) and High Bandwidth- Coherent Driver Modulator (HB-CDM).

“As a member-driven organization, OIF’s work is based on our members’ needs. The CFP2-DCO IA is in direct response to feedback from a network operator that needed an IA to fill an interoperability gap in their network,” said Karl Gass, OIF, PLL Working Group – Optical Vice Chair. “The HB-CDM IA addresses a performance need by creating a component that can be used for much higher performance links.”

CFP2-DCO

The CFP2-DCO IA defines the additional information needed in order to implement the DCO function in the CFP2 module. The CFP2-DCO module contains all the required functions to perform dual polarization coherent optical signaling. The module can also provide different bitrates such as 100G/200G/300G/400G and support more modulation formats.

HB-CDM

The IA for HB-CDM targets modulation and data-rate agnostic coherent applications having nominal symbol rates up to 64 Gbaud. It defines a small form factor electro-optic component that integrates the HB-Polarization Multiplexed-Quadrature (HB-PMQ) modulator plus the RF drive functions for the high baud-rate and low modem implementation penalty segment of the coherent market. Additionally, the IA identifies and specifies the common features and properties of coherent transmitters to enable them to broadly meet the needs of current and future coherent systems.

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

Fiber Systems – Summer 2019

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Small Wonder – A new implementation agreement for low-power consumption will see small modules push technological barriers

https://www.fibre-systems.com/feature/small-wonder

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

 

FierceTelecom – What is 400ZR?

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Aimed predominantly at short-reach, single-span fiber optic links for Data Center Interconnect (DCI), 400ZR is an interoperable networking Implementation Agreement (IA) in progress by the OIF. It defines a footprint-optimized solution for transporting 400Gb Ethernet over DCI links targeting a minimum of 80 km. Enabled by advanced coherent optical technology design targeting small, pluggable form factor modules such as QSFP-DD and OSFP, 400ZR proposes a technology-driven solution for high capacity data transport, matched to 400GE switch port market introduction.

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/sponsored/what-400zr

(Sponsored by Ciena)

Lightwave – OIF, Ethernet Alliance pair on FlexE demonstration at OFC 2019

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The OIF and the Ethernet Alliance hosted interop and technology demonstrations on the show floor this week at OFC 2019 in San Diego. The activities at the two booths overlapped with a fiber connection across the show floor, via which a 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400GbE) transmission generated via Flex Ethernet based on OIF’s FlexE 2.0 Implementation Agreement became part of the Ethernet Alliance’s 400GbE interop.

https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2019/03/oif-ethernet-alliance-pair-on-flexe-demonstration-at-ofc-2019.html?eid=383971651&bid=2392146

SDxCentral – Microsoft Rises From Irrelevance With Big Bet on Cloud

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Microsoft, which not too long ago was facing irrelevance, is successfully riding the cloud to reestablish itself and brighten it prospects.

The company’s research and development efforts, the Playbook says, focus on AI, quantum computing, productivity tools, streaming cloud-based gaming, and networking. “Scaling the cloud requires not only more data centers, but also faster intra- and inter-data center connectivity links,” Menon wrote. “For instance, Microsoft is very active with the OIF in pushing 400ZR, a 400 Gbps link specification for data center interconnect.”

https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/news/microsoft-rises-from-irrelevance-with-big-bet-on-cloud/2019/03/

Light Reading – 5G Transport, 400ZR Star at OFC19

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Heavy Reading’s optical expert Sterling Perrin discusses some of the major trends in transport network technology at this year’s OFC event in San Diego, including 5G Transport, 800G and 400ZR.

https://www.lightreading.com/optical-ip/400g-terabit/5g-transport-400zr-star-at-ofc19/v/d-id/750020

OIF and Ethernet Alliance Collaborate to Run Live FlexE Traffic over 400G Network at OFC 2019

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SAN DIEGO – March 5, 2019 – Industry leading organizations, OIF and the Ethernet Alliance, today announced an interoperating 400 Gbps Ethernet (400 GbE) network demonstration at OFC in San Diego, CA, March 5-7, 2019. The joint demonstration will feature Flex Ethernet (FlexE) traffic sent over three bonded and subrated 100 GbE interfaces streaming over the Ethernet Alliance 400 GbE network with interconnection between the OIF and Ethernet Alliance booths on the show floor.

The demonstration is designed to showcase the Ethernet Alliance’s IEEE 802.3bs 400 Gbps network and OIF’s FlexE 2.0 Implementation Agreement (IA).

“The Ethernet Alliance’s 400 GbE network over the OFC exhibit floor is the perfect setting to illustrate the real-world features and capabilities of the OIF FlexE 2.0 IA that allows network operators to tailor their traffic while still leveraging Ethernet,” according to Nathan Tracy, OIF’s President and Technologist at TE Connectivity. “The Ethernet Alliance’s deployment of the 400 GbE network at OFC combined with OIF’s FlexE demonstration illustrates the coincident availability of these new technologies.”

The member companies participating in the OIF demo, booth #6215, include Amphenol, Cisco, Credo Semiconductor (HK) LTD, Finisar, Inphi, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Molex, Spirent Communications, TE Connectivity, VIAVI Solutions, Xilinx and YAMAICHI ELECTRONICS. For more info on OIF’s activities at OFC, please visit https://www.oiforum.com/meetings-events/oif-ofc-2019/

Happening in booth #4749, the Ethernet Alliance’s OFC 2019 demo incorporates equipment and solutions from 21 different companies: Amphenol Corporation; Anritsu Corporation; Arista Networks, Inc.; Cisco; Credo Semiconductor, Inc.; EXFO, Inc.; Finisar; Intel Corporation; Ixia / Keysight Technologies, Inc.; Juniper Networks, Inc.; Lumentum Holdings Inc.; Nexans S.A.; Panduit Corp.; Source Photonics Inc.; Spectra7 Microsystems Ltd.; Spirent Communications; TE Connectivity Ltd.; Tektronix, Inc.; Teledyne LeCroy, Inc.; VIAVI Solutions, Inc. and Xilinx, Inc.

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/.

About the Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education.

 

 

PR Contact:

Leah Wilkinson

Wilkinson + Associates for OIF

leah@wilkinson.associates

703-907-0010

 

 

EE Web – 112G Digs in at DesignCon 2019

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112G serial links have moved out of the lab and onto the exhibit floor. 56G ramps up while 28G goes mainstream.

By Martin Rowe, EE Web, Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Last year at DesignCon 2018, we witnessed high-speed digital designs that moved past 56 Gbits/s (56G) and onto 112 Gbits/s (112G). This year, DesignCon 2019 brought numerous demonstrations of 112G as the connectors and cables caught up with the silicon. While still appearing in technical papers and panels, 112G has certainly moved into the exhibit hall. Meanwhile, 56G has matured and is now a complete ecosystem.

When it comes to signal integrity and high-speed signals, transmission lengths certainly matter, especially with electrical signals over copper connections. Yes, optical transmission is an option, but nobody wants to pay for it. At a panel session on Jan. 31, OIF board president Nathan Tracy presented the table shown in Figure 1 that describes five OIF standards for different electrical transmission lengths.

mar0008-01-oif-standards
Figure 1: The Optical Internetworking Forum has created standards for 112-Gbit/s copper connections. (Source: Optical Internetworking Forum and DesignCon)
Given a rule of thumb of 0.1 dB/in./GHz of insertion loss (Figure 2), PCB traces of, say, 10 inches are simply too long. That’s where cables that jump over PCBs have become popular.

mar0008-02-112gbps
Figure 2: Cable assemblies jump over PCBs to reduce insertion loss. (Source: Optical Internetworking Forum, Broadcom, and DesignCon)
Connectors for 112G took several forms at DesignCon, depending on the length of the transmission. For chip-to-chip or chip-to-module distances, sending 112G four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) signals (28 GHz) over PCB traces results in excessive insertion loss. To get past that restriction, several connector companies have developed cable assemblies that jump over sections of boards.

Read more here: https://www.eeweb.com/profile/martin-rowe-2/articles/112g-digs-in-at-designcon-2019

 

OIF Members to Demonstrate Interoperability of Industry’s Hottest Technologies at OFC 2019

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Multi-vendor live demos to feature 400ZR, CEI-112G and FlexE technology; OIF experts to lead panel discussions on hot topics, interoperability

Fremont, Calif.—February 20, 2019 – Demonstrating how interoperability works get done, 13 OIF member companies will participate in live interoperability demos of the industry’s hottest technologies – 400ZR, Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-112G  and Flex Ethernet (FlexE) – at OFC 2019 in San Diego, March 5-7, 2019.

Amphenol, Cisco Systems, Credo Semiconductor (HK) LTD, Finisar, Inphi, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Molex, Spirent Communications, TE Connectivity, VIAVI Solutions, Xilinx and YAMAICHI ELECTRONICS will demonstrate the interoperability of their products and technologies in OIF’s booth, #6215.

“400ZR, CEI-112G and FlexE are critical technologies in our industry so it’s no surprise these are the interoperability specifications our members are most focused on for OFC,” said Steve Sekel of Keysight and OIF’s Physical and Link Layer Interoperability Working Group Chair. “The live demos will demonstrate critical insight into how key technologies interoperate within the industry’s ecosystem.”

400ZR Demo

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. Currently in progress, the project will result in an implementation agreement for 400G ZR and short-reach DWDM multi-vendor interoperability. The 400ZR demo consists of real-time Error Vector Magnitude measurements demonstrating the maturity of the methodology used for transmitter specifications. In addition, a hardware-based 400ZR installation will show how participants communicate a typical application case.

CEI-112G Demo

OIF is taking a lead role in moving the industry to the next generation with its development of electrical interface specifications for 112 Gbps per differential pair. Multiple live demonstrations featuring interoperability clearly prove the key role OIF provides. The CEI-112G demonstrations in the OIF booth will feature multi-party silicon supplier interoperability over mated compliance board channels and direct attach copper cable channels, all demonstrating the technical viability of 112 Gbps operation, along with multiple industry form factors including OSFP and QSFP-DD.

FlexE Demo

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). The FlexE 2.0 demo will show off the bonding, subrating, and channelization features that allows FlexE-enabled hardware to support non-standard Ethernet rates over standard Ethernet optics. Realistic multi-vendor deployment scenarios, client rate reconfiguration, and in-band messaging features will be demonstrated on a network built from a variety of Ethernet optics and interconnecting the OIF and Ethernet Alliance booths.

OIF @ OFC 2019 Speaking Sessions

On Thursday, March 7, industry experts from OIF will lead panels focused on the latest update on 400ZR specifications and the drivers, needs, and challenges in the evolution to widescale adoption of open, interoperable optical networks.

OIF – 400ZR Specification Update

Thursday, 7 March, 10:15-11:15 – Theater II, Hall E

Moderator: Karl Gass, OIF PLL WG Vice Chair Optical

Speakers include: Josef Berger, Inphi; Mark Filer, Microsoft Azure; Marc Stiller, NeoPhotonics and Markus Weber, Acacia Communications

 

The Path to Open, Interoperable Optical Networking

Thursday, 7 March, 11:15-12:15 – Theater II, Hall E

Moderator: Dave Brown, OIF Director of Communications, Nokia

Speakers include: Victor Lopez, Telefónica gCTIO; Lyndon Ong, OIF MA&E Co-Chair – Networking, Ciena and Jonathan Sadler, OIF Networking Interoperability WG Chair, Infinera

 

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 Experts to Provide CEI-112G Project Update at DesignCon

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Expert panel will provide an update on the multiple interfaces being defined by OIF including CEI-112G MCM, XSR, VSR, MR and LR for 112G

Fremont, Calif.—January 23, 2019 – A panel of OIF experts will present and discuss the ongoing, multi-faceted Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-112G interface effort at this year’s DesignCon being held in Santa Clara, CA January 29-31. “112-Gbps Electrical Interface: An OIF Update on CEI-112G,” is scheduled for Thursday, January 31 at 3:45 pm (local) and will provide an update on the multiple 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, chip-to-module, chip-to-chip and long reach over backplane and cables.

Panel speakers include Brian Holden of Kandou Bus and OIF member; Cathy Liu of Broadcom Inc. and OIF Board Member; Steve Sekel of Keysight Technologies and OIF PLL Interoperability Working Group Chair and Nathan Tracy of TE Connectivity and OIF President.

Since 2000, OIF has defined Interoperability Agreements (IA)s for electrical interconnects known as CEI.  CEI is a clause-based document that defines implementation details for interoperable electrical channels initially issued for 6 Gbps, then 11, 28, and 56 and includes definitions for multiple channel implementation topologies and will soon include 112 Gbps clauses. In August of 2016, OIF announced the first CEI-112G project in an overall effort that has now expanded to five projects.

“Previous CEI development has been highly influential and has been adopted, influenced or adapted by many other high-speed interconnect specifications throughout the industry,” said Tracy. “Given that the CEI-112G generation of high-speed transmitters, receivers and channels will be challenging to define, implement and measure, this panel will provide guidance to where the industry is headed and what the key challenge points are likely to be.”

The CEI-112G IA effort is challenging in signal integrity, implementation complexity and measurement terms. The signals are increasingly vulnerable to channel discontinuities, leading to signal impairment and crosstalk. The switching speed and the density of the available SerDes transistors have not kept pace with other silicon functions, resulting in architectural challenges. Finally, the ability to probe and repeatably capture measurements at these rates with sufficient accuracy and precision is challenging.

Check the status of OIF’s current work in CEI-112G here.

About OIF
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 http://www.oiforum.com.

 

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

 

OIF Launches Flexe 2.1 Project and Elects new Board Positions and Working Group Representatives

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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.

The new FlexE 2.1 project is for FlexE over 50Gbe PHY applications and an extension to the recently released FlexE 2.0 Interoperability Agreement (IA). FlexE 2.1 will specify a 50G FlexE frame and multiplexing format and will address Flex Ethernet (FlexE) applications with lower bandwidth needs and provide an implementation foundation for applications including the access layer of the future 5G mobile network. This new 50GbE support will extend the existing support for 100, 200 and 400GE in the just published FlexE 2.0 IA.

With market demand and possible large volume applications for channelization (5Gb/s granularity for minimum 10G clients) and bonding of 50GE PHYs in the future access layer/metro edge (based on IPRAN/PTN) of the 5G mobile backhaul network, FlexE implementation logic will be critical.

“There is continued demand by data center and network operators for a solution for flexible deployment and provisioning of Ethernet bandwidth,” said Dave Ofelt, Juniper Networks and OIF Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group – Protocol Vice Chair. “Building on OIF’s great work for FlexE and FlexE 2.0, this new FlexE 2.1 project will ultimately result in a single IA that adds n×50Gb/s support to FlexE 2.0, along with other possible feature enhancements.”

Election Results

  • Board of Directors:
    • Nathan Tracy, TE Connectivity, was re-elected to the Board and appointed as President
    • Tad Hofmeister, Google, was appointed as Vice President
    • Martin Bouda, Fujitsu, was re-elected to the Board and appointed as Secretary/Treasurer
    • Mike Li, Intel, was newly elected to the Board
    • Cathy Liu, Broadcom Inc., was re-elected to the Board
    • Gary Nicholl, Cisco, was newly elected to the Board
    • Ian Betty, Ciena, continues to serve on the Board
  • Officers:
    • Klaus-Holger Otto, Nokia, was re-elected as Technical Committee Chair
    • Ed Frlan, Semtech, was re-elected as Technical Committee Vice Chair
    • Tom Issenhuth, Huawei Technologies, was newly elected Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Physical and Link Layer (PLL)
    • Lyndon Ong, Ciena, was re-elected as Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Networking
    • Dave Brown, Nokia, was appointed as Communications Director, having termed out as a Board member and Board President
  • Technical Committee – Working Groups:
    • Jia He, Huawei Technologies, was newly elected as Network & Operations Working Group Chair
    • Jeff Maki, Juniper Networks, was re-elected as Physical Layer User Group Working Group Chair

“I am thrilled and honored to serve as president of the OIF for the coming year,” said Nathan Tracy, TE Connectivity and new OIF president. “This is an exciting time in the industry and OIF has an important role to play with the interoperability solutions that are both in-process and yet to come. I congratulate all the other members who are newly elected to the board of directors and other leadership positions.”

About OIF
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 http://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.

OIF Delivers on Enabling Next Generation Network Flexibility through Three New Interoperability Agreements

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OIF efforts provide the growing networking industry with advanced network connectivity, provisioning and flexibility combined with improved data rates

Fremont, Calif.—October 23, 2018 – Continuing its efforts to drive network connectivity and flexibility worldwide, OIF announced three Interoperability Agreements (IAs) aimed at expanded interoperability of Flex Ethernet and increased data rates. The completed IAs—FlexE 2.0, FlexE Neighbor Discovery and Common ACO Electrical I/O—reinforce OIF’s work to provide the industry with solutions for flexible deployment and provisioning of network bandwidth.

“The completion of these projects reinforces OIF’s commitment to provide the industry with the flexibility and increased bandwidth solutions combined with increased data speeds it requires to keep up with market demands and drive solutions that enable the next generation of networks,” explained Dave Stauffer of Kandou Bus and OIF’s Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group Chair.

FlexE 2.0

Initiated in 2016, the FlexE 2.0 project enables equipment to support new Ethernet connection types and FlexE allows network providers and operators to utilize optical transport network bandwidth in more flexible ways. FlexE can deterministically utilize the entire aggregated link, creating a more efficient alternative to the traditional IEEE 802.3ad or IEEE 802.1-based Link Aggregation (LAG) solutions which often can only utilize 70-80% of the available bandwidth. Key features of the FlexE 2.0 project include adding support for FlexE groups composed of 200GBASE-R and 400GBASE-R PHYs, in addition to groups composed of 100GBASE-R PHYs, and adding an option for the support of time and frequency synchronization at the FlexE group level.

FlexE Neighbor Discovery

The FlexE Neighbor Discovery project recognizes that FlexE capability discovery is still required to facilitate the setup of FlexE groups and clients. The project introduced some extensions to the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) for FlexE capability discovery. It enables remote FlexE PHY and deskew capability discovery, PHY connectivity discovery and verifications, and FlexE Group subgroup integrity verification.

Common ACO Electrical I/O Project

The implementation agreement for Common Analog Coherent Optics (ACO) Electrical I/O follows the success of the CFP2-ACO optical transceiver implementation agreement but is form factor agnostic, so it also benefits analog coherent modules based on such form factors as CFP4, CFP8, QSFP, microQSFP, QSFP-DD and OSFP. The project defines the ACO electrical I/O independent of the choice of form factor and optical carrier count for 45 Gbaud and 64 Gbaud per-carrier applications.

“We recognize that the data center and communications industries require solutions for flexible deployment and provisioning of network bandwidth combined with component level interoperable infrastructure that can enable system capacity demands,” Stauffer continued.

OIF Day at CenturyLink

OIF Day at CenturyLink was held on October 16, 2018 in Littleton, CO. The interactive and educational workshop featured OIF and CenturyLink subject matter experts covering: OIF projects and directions including Networking Transport SDN work and an overview of Physical & Link Layer work.

 

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

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 INTEROPERABILITY TEST VALIDATES TRANSPORT APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (T-API) 2.0 MARKET-READINESS – RESULTS PUBLISHED IN NEW WHITE PAPER

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August 7, 2018  Leah Wilkinson

Successful collaborative demo identified multiple success points and areas where additional work is needed to enhance performance – white paper to provide deep dive and outline specifics

Fremont, Calif.—August 7, 2018 – Detailed results from the OIF’s (Optical Internetworking Forum) 2018 Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) multi-vendor interoperability demonstration showcasing new dynamic behavior use cases and deployment scenarios are available in a white paper published today. To request a copy, please go here.

Demo results were initially announced at a public read-out at NGON in Nice, France, and at two invitation-only events earlier this month at CenturyLink and China Telecom. An additional read-out was held last week during MEF’s Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

Following a six-week testing period, the OIF released its findings through liaisons to industry bodies.  Among the findings are the following (additional details on the testing and results can be found in the white paper):

  • Open Networking Foundation (ONF) T-API 2.0 specifications have addressed the main issues identified in the OIF’s 2016 testing and provide a basis for real-time orchestration of on-demand connectivity setup, control and monitoring across diverse multi-layer, multi-vendor, multi-domain carrier networks
  • Additional scaling and performance enhancements will need to be addressed as T-API is deployed in real networks, such as refinements to the model, greater detail in error codes to improve debugging properties, and potential implementation options such as a separate server for notifications of network events
  • The API allows for some variability in the use of topology abstraction depending on business requirements and technology; documentation of supplementary examples for topology abstraction will help application and orchestration software developers.

“Standardized and open SDN APIs reduce complexity in intra and inter-domain operations, allowing us to provide more diverse services to our customers in less time,” said Park Jin-hyo, EVP of ICT R&D Center at SK Telecom. “After successfully completing the test trial, SK Telecom will keep engaging in 5G transport network and service development by opening APIs and transforming the current infrastructure into Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Platform.”

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.

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.

Additional information and an infographic 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. 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 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 Initiates New CEI-112G-XSR Project for D2D/D2OE Common Electrical Interface, Addresses Multiple Chip Integration

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Forum continues efforts to support new and evolving architectures by defining a range of electrical interfaces which enable optimized system design for power, cost and packaging

Fremont, Calif.—June 12, 2018 – The OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) today announced the launch of the CEI-112G-XSR project for Die-to-Die (D2D) and Die-to-Optical Engine (D2OE) Common Electrical Interface at the Q218 Technical and MA&E Committees meeting held April 24-26, 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany. The project aims at enabling intra-package interconnects to optical engines or between dies with high throughput density and low normalized power operating in the data rate range of 72-116 Gbps with a reach up to 50 mm.

In addition to the already existing CEI-112G-MCM OIF project, which is dedicated to wide, high bandwidth CMOS-to-CMOS interconnects, the new CEI-112G-XSR project proposes to support technology mix, in particular CMOS-to-SiGe (Silicon Germanium), which is frequently used to build optical engines. System-in-package (SIP) leads to a requirement of supporting up to 50 mm trace length between the multiple chips on a common (organic) package substrate.

“We jointly designed this project to address the problem of integrating multiple dies, including driver devices for optical engines on non-CMOS technologies, onto a common substrate within a large multi-chip-package design. Supporting this mix of technology allows combining the high logic density of CMOS devices with the high drive strength of analog components,” explained Klaus-Holger Otto of Nokia and OIF Technical Committee Chair.

The working group for the CEI-112G-XSR project has identified the following benefits for OIF members:

  • Allow lower normalized power, double shoreline throughput density and provide a multi-source 72-116 Gbps D2D and D2OE electrical I/O interface. This will enhance the integration, normalized power reduction, and cost reduction for integrated OE, multiple-die SIPs.
  • Enable 1 to N lanes of 72-116 Gbps electrical I/Os (e.g. on ASIC/FPGA/OE).

OIF Day at Nokia

Following the quarterly meeting, a sizeable group of OIF members participated in an OIF Day event at the Nokia Nuremberg facility on April 27, 2018. The OIF Day Program is a live educational workshop program to expand awareness of, and educate member company employees on the work of the OIF. The OIF Day event is conducted at network operator and/or vendor sites to reach and obtain inputs from a range of support functions, e.g. operations, network planning, network management, marketing, etc. It is custom-tailored to the needs of each hosting company and comprised of general sessions and tracks focused on Networking and/or Physical and Link Layer topics.

OIF Transport-API for Transport SDN Survey

OIF also recently conducted a survey of OIF members and non-members, including network operators and vendors, on the OIF’s proposed certification project for Transport-API (T-API) for Transport SDN. Nearly 30 responses to the survey were received – 20+ from network operators and 9 from vendors.  The OIF will consider the feedback in any proposal to expand the current program to include T-API certification.

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: 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