OIF and ONF to Test Transport SDN with Global Carriers

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) will begin testing Transport Software Defined Networking (SDN) in several global carrier lab environments, including China Mobile, China Telecom, TELUS and Verizon. Consulting carriers and research institutions participating in the demonstration include KDDI R&D Laboratories, Orange and China Academy of Telecommunications Research. Testing gets underway this month.

OpenFlow extensions for optical transport developed in the ONF Optical Transport Working Group are being prototyped in the demo along with Service Request and Topology APIs from application to controller. The framework of the demo is application-based bandwidth-on-demand between data center sites, also referred to as cloud-bursting. This real-world use case will illustrate prototype deployment of Transport SDN technology, common interfaces required, needs for interoperability and any operational challenges.

“Verizon has been involved with SDN from its genesis and, as this technology evolves, we look forward to a better understanding of its deployment and operation. As one of the carriers involved in the trial and a hosting lab, Verizon fully supports the OIF and ONF and their collaborative efforts to advance the industry development in this area to achieve the expected benefits of SDN, such as increased network programmability, application aware networking and simplified service development.” Chris Emmons, director, Network Systems, Implementation and Planning, Verizon.

http://www.oiforum.com/public/Global_Transport_SDN_Demo_2014.html