Thursday, November 19, 2015

Bell Labs' MIMO-SDM Sets Path to Petabit/Sec Optical Transmission

Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent, announced a space-division multiplexed optical multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO-SDM) system with the potential to increase current 10 to 20 Terabit-per-second fiber capacities to Petabit-per-second capacity - the equivalent of 1,000 Terabits/s.

Bell Labs said it has demonstrated real-time 6x6 MIMO-SDM using six transmitters and six receivers in combination with real- time digital signal processing to remove cross-talk.  The experiment was conducted over a 60-km-long coupled-mode fiber in Bell Labs’ headquarters in New Jersey.

The researchers claim this MIMO-SDM technique could overcome the capacity limitations imposed by the non-linear ‘Shannon limit’ on current optical fiber.

“This experiment represents a major breakthrough in the development of future optical transport. We are at the crossroads of a huge change in communications networks, with the advent of 5G Wireless and cloud networking underway. Operators and enterprises alike will see their networks challenged by massive increases in traffic. At Bell Labs we are continuously innovating to shape the future of communications networks to meet those demands,” said Marcus Weldon, CTO of Alcatel-Lucent and President of Bell Labs.

Alcatel-Lucent announced the first commercially available single-carrier 100G technology in June 2010 and the first commercially available 100G/200G single-carrier line card in 2014, that can deliver up to 24 Tbps capacity.

In 2013, Alcatel-Lucent announced the first deployment of a 400G superchannel optical link with FT Orange with a capacity of 17.6 terabits-per-second, based on the 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE), co-developed by Bell Labs.

https://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Facebook Targets 32x100G Wedge Data Center Switch

Facebook confirmed that work is already underway on Wedge 100, a 32x100G switch for its hyperscale data centers.

Facebook is also adapting Wedge to a much bigger aggregation switch called 6-pack, which uses Wedge as its foundation and stacks 12 of these Wedges in a modular and nonblocking aggregation switch. FBOSS will be used as a software stack across the growing platform of network switches: Wedge, 6-pack, and now Wedge 100.

In an engineering blog post, Facebook said thousands of its initial Wedge top-of-rack network switch have already been deployed.  Teh design has been contributed to the Open Compute Project and is now commercially available from various vendors.

Facebook also revealed that its FBOSS software undergoes a weekly cadence of new features and bug fixes. Facebook is able to update thousands of switches seamlessly, without any traffic loss, to keep up with this pace.  Some new capabilities include detailed monitoring, non-stop forwarding, warm boot, etc.

https://code.facebook.com/posts/145488969140934/open-networking-advances-with-wedge-and-fboss/

Facebook Debuts "6-Pack" Open Hardware Modular Switch


Facebook is taking the wraps off of its "6-Pack" open modular switch platform designed for the flexibility, efficiency, and scale required in its massive data centers. The architecture allows Facebook to build different size switches using common line card and fabric card building blocks. Last year, Facebook disclosed the specification of its top-of-rack network switch (code-named “Wedge”) and a Linux-based operating system for that switch (code-named...






Facebook Unveils "Wedge" Top-of-Rack Programmable Switch


Facebook introduced a new top-of-rack network switch, code-named “Wedge,” and a new Linux-based operating system for that switch, code-named “FBOSS.”  Both products are part of Facebook's efforts to "disaggregate" the network from traditional product categories so as to create more flexible, more scalable and more efficient data centers.  The Wedge switch features a modular design that brings capabilities of a micro-server using a range...

Facebook's Latest Open Compute Project Data Center


Facebook has kicked off construction of its fifth mega data center in Fort Worth, Texas. The new site will join the other major Facebook data centers located in Prineville (Oregon), Forest City (North Carolina), Lulea (Sweden), and Altoona (Iowa). The new Fort Worth data center will feature the latest Open Compute Project hardware designs — including Yosemite, Wedge, and 6-pack — making it one of the most advanced data centers in the world. Notably,...

Facebook Releases FBOSS Open Switching System


Facebook released its open switching system (code-named “FBOSS”) on GitHub. The initial release consists primarily of the FBOSS agent, a daemon that runs on each switch and manages the hardware forwarding ASIC. It receives information via configuration files and thrift APIs and then programs the correct forwarding and routing entries into the chip. It also processes packets from the ASIC that are destined to the switch itself, such as control plane...

Arista Adds 6-port 100G DWDM Line Card for DCI

Arista Networks announced new capabilities that extend its spine networking platforms to include data center interconnect use cases. These capabilities include:

Spine Transit: A long haul Coherent DWDM, 6-port 100G line card with integrated MACsec encryption for the Arista 7500E Spine switches.
Spine Interconnect: Production-ready, standards-based VXLAN solutions for Layer 2 service extension between sites.
Spine Peering: An Arista EOS approach for supporting full Internet routes in cost-effective merchant silicon spine platforms.

Box, an enterprise content management and collaboration platform, is using the Arista 7500E Coherent DWDM solution to help support the increase in bandwidth demand between data center sites as it grows and expands. 

AT&T Aims for Carbon Savings 10X the Footprint Of Operations By 2025

AT&T has set a goal to enable carbon savings 10 times the footprint of its operations by 2025.

The gains will achieved by enhancing the efficiency of its network and delivering low-carbon customer solutions.

To be achieved by 2025, additional goals focus on the communities in which AT&T operates and the company's supply chain:

  • AT&T will invest resources, develop initiatives and collaborate with stakeholders to close the skills gap, by increasing the number of Americans with high-quality, post-secondary degrees or credentials to 60 percent.
  • AT&T will work with its industry peers to develop and promote adoption of sustainability metrics that will transform the environmental and social impact of technology supply chains.

"Connect to Good represents our company's vision of using the power of our network to build a better tomorrow," said Charlene Lake, senior vice president – corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer, AT&T. "Our technology will guide us as we work with our employees, customers, suppliers and communities to fulfill our goals."

These long-term goals require checkpoints along the way. AT&T has built a roadmap to 2025 that includes 2020 goals to meet on the way to achieving the 2025 goals, in addition to specific targets to reach throughout the years to demonstrate transparency in reaching the goals.

http://about.att.com/csr/goals

Rollout Continues on Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) Cable

Phase II of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable system, a 5,000km extension from the Gulf of Guinea island of Sao Tomé-et-Principe to South Africa, is set to begin. Phase II will link Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville and South Africa, including an extension to Cameroon. On completion of the Phase II extension, the ACE system will deliver an overall design capacity of 12.8 Tbps.

Alcatel-Lucent is supplying 100G submarine technology,

“The extension of the ACE system to South Africa is a significant milestone that confirms our commitment to address the connectivity challenges facing Africa. ASN’s know-how and technological innovations, which we have recently tested on our existing network, will support us in further developing direct connectivity within Africa and to the overall objective of ACE to reduce communication costs and drive social and economic growth in the continent,” stated Yves Ruggeri, Chairman of the ACE Management Committee/

https://www.alcatel-lucent.com


  • ACE consortium, led by Orange, is composed of 19 operators, namely: Benin ACE GIE, Cable Consortium of Liberia, Canalink, Côte d’Ivoire Telecom, Dolphin Telecom, Guineenne de la Large Bande, Gambia Submarine Cable Company, International Mauritania Telecom, Orange Cameroun, Orange France, Orange Mali, Orange Niger, MEO, Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone Cable Limited (SALCAB), Sonatel, SPIN (Gabon) and STP Cabo.. Phase I covered 11,500 km linking Sao Tomé and Principe to France - via Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Tenerife (Spain) and Portugal. Phase II will span more than 5,000 km, for an overall system distance of 17,000 km.  

Video: Building Scalable SDN and NFV Deployments with Radisys’ FlowEngine

Key members of the Radisys FlowEngine team: Bryan Sadowski, VP of FlowEngine Marketing; Andrew Alleman, CTO; and Joseph Sulistyo, Director – Product Strategy and Management describe how the FlowEngine allows operators to innovate and deliver new services with agility and speed.




Video: @Pica8 Blazes Multiple Paths to SDN



is blazing multiple paths to inc open swtiching platforms, OEMs, a brite box w etc says Niraj Jain