OIF validates Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) 2.0

The Optical Internetworking Forum's Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API) 2.0 is market ready, following a six week, multi-vendor interoperability demonstration. The results of the interoperability test are reported in a new whitepaper published by the OIF.

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.

Key findings detailed in the whitepaper:

• 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.

http://www.oiforum.com/documents/oif-2018-sdn-t-api-interop-demo-white-paper/

“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.”

Layer 1 Transport API interoperability demo -- MEF, ONF, and OIF

Wednesday, July 25, 2018  MEF, Video  

The recently concluded MEF-ONF-OIF interoperability demo that focused on the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Application Programming Interface (T-API).

NEC's Karthik Sethuraman and Centurylink's Jack Pugaczewski provide an overview of the demo. A proof-of-concept (PoC) on this topic will be presented at #MEF18.

See video: https://youtu.be/kahW_dxoBSk

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Australia's NBN Co implements ARRIS DOCSIS 3.1

Australia's NBN Co has begun rolling out ARRIS's technology solutions for its nationwide launch of DOCSIS 3.1, which aims to bring gigabit-class broadband over the upgraded HFC network to three million premises in major Australian cities by 2020. Financial terms were not disclosed.

ARRIS technology powering the network includes:

• E6000 Gen 2 Platform – the world's most widely deployed CCAP platform
• OM4100 OptiMax – 4x4 segmentable nodes – scalable and upgradeable optical modules that extend the edges of the fiber network without requiring additional infrastructure at the plant
• ServAssure NXT management platform – the system that provides visibility across the entire service environment to anticipate and resolve issues before they impact the consumer experience
• ARRIS CM8200B – DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems
• Global Services – supporting the planning, designing, implementation and operation of the network and business processes

"NBN Co has worked hard on the introduction of DOCSIS 3.1 onto the HFC network and we are very proud to be able to launch the technology onto the network with our HFC technology partner ARRIS," said Ray Owen, Chief Technology Officer at NBN Co. "This is another example of NBN Co using world-leading technology to deliver a better experience for Australians on the nbn broadband access network. DOCSIS 3.1 will not only double the capacity of the NBN Co HFC network, but it will also help us deliver a more stable and resilient service for end-users with the advanced technologies that it uses."

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Deutsche Telekom expands 100Mbps in rural areas

Deutsche Telekom reported progress in its network modernization especially in development areas as 405,000 additional households across Germany recently become eligible for 100 Mbps service. Upload speeds have also increased from 10 Mbps to 40 Mbps. The speed boast is attained by installing vectoring line cards in its street cabinets.

"We are making great progress on expanding broadband in Germany", said Walter Goldenits, Chief Technology Officer at Telekom Deutschland.

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Toshiba develops Ethernet-Attached Native NVMe-oF SSD

Toshiba Memory introduced an native NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) SSD for direct Ethernet access based on the NVMe-oF Specification Version 1.0.

Toshiba Memory's new SSD is powered by the Marvell 88SN2400 NVMe-oF SSD converter controller, enabling dual-port 25Gbps Ethernet connectivity of high-performance U.2 NVMe SSDs. This makes it suitable for cloud data centers and enterprise data centers.

At this week's Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California, Toshiba Memory is showing an Ethernet JBOF prototype chassis that was developed and built by Aupera Technologies. The JBOF is powered by 1+1 redundant 100Gbit Ethernet switch units with dual 6x100 Gbit Ethernet uplinks, which enables 16M IOPS system performance (4KB Random Read), the fastest ever seen in the industry[2].

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Brazil's Copel Telecom deploys Coriant's 200G transport

Copel Telecom, a regional telecom operator in Brazil and a subsidiary of the electric power utility company in the State of Paraná, has deployed 200G optical transmission technology from Coriant to scale its fiber backbone.

Copel Telecom uses Coriant's hiT 7300 DWDM platform to power its regional backbone, which supports residential Internet services covering more than 81 cities as well as corporate services offered in all 399 municipalities in Paraná. The recent upgrade uses Coriant CloudWave Optics technology to increase line-side transmission speeds to 200G per wavelength. In addition to increasing reach and spectral efficiency, the programmable interface solution enables Copel Telecom to reduce power, footprint, and cost as the network scales. Enhancements to the Coriant Transcend Chorus transport network management system enable simplified end-to-end service provisioning and advanced network control through software-defined programmability and automation.

“We continue to differentiate our services by helping customers take advantage of the digital revolution with fast, stable, and affordable connections,” said Adir Hannouche, Chief Executive Officer, Copel Telecom. “Our long-standing technology collaboration with Coriant has enabled us to keep pace with the capacity demands of end-user applications, and we are proud to announce that our network today is one of the first in Brazil to support 200G transmission.”

“The tremendous success that Copel Telecom has demonstrated with its residential GPON deployments has been one of the main drivers for increased capacity demand in the backbone network,” said Lucas Vanagas, Managing Director for South America, Coriant. “We are pleased to extend our relationship with Copel Telecom by providing the technology innovation, network design and professional services support that allows them to deliver an ultra-fast, always-on internet experience while reducing operations costs.”


Coriant CloudWave Optics combines advanced digital signal processing, photonic integration, and embedded software to enable flexi-rate coherent interface support including QPSK (100G), 8QAM (150G), and 16QAM (200G), with the latest generation of CloudWave Optics supporting higher baud rates and additional modulation formats, paving the way to transmission speeds of 400G per wavelength.

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Infinera posts Q2 revenue of $202.7 million

Infinera reported Q2 2018 GAAP revenue of $208.2 million compared to $202.7 million in the first quarter of 2018 and $176.8 million in the second quarter of 2017. GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 40.5% compared to 40.5% in the first quarter of 2018 and 36.7% in the second quarter of 2017. GAAP operating margin for the quarter was (10.4)% compared to (12.2)% in the first quarter of 2018 and (22.9)% in the second quarter of 2017. GAAP net loss for the quarter was $(21.9) million, or $(0.14) per share, compared to a net loss of $(26.3) million, or $(0.17) per share, in the first quarter of 2018, and net loss of $(42.8) million, or $(0.29) per share, in the second quarter of 2017.

“In Q2, we delivered strong margins and our fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth, as customers continued to adopt our next-generation products,” said Tom Fallon, Infinera CEO. “In the second half, we expect to deploy several new opportunities that will drive multi-year growth. We believe adding Coriant’s capabilities and extensive customer base to our vertically integrated operating model and refreshed product portfolio, will allow us to enter 2019 in a position of strength. I really like our opportunity and am very excited for what the future holds.”

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A10 offers "apps" for its multi-cloud and on-premises analytics platform

A10 Networks has enhanced its A10 Harmony Controller multi-cloud analytics and management platform with new "Harmony Apps" that support key A10 security solutions, namely, Thunder SSLi (SSL Insight), Thunder CFW (Convergent Firewall), and the Thunder CGN (Carrier-Grade Networking).

The initial set of A10 infrastructure apps available include:

• SSLi App for encrypted traffic, user behavior, and key information insights with the Thunder SSLi solution. The SSLi App also introduces enhanced centralized management and simplified workflows for Thunder SSLi deployment and operations.
• GiFW App for application, policy, and performance insights with Thunder CFW’s GiFW (Gi Firewall) solution.
• CGN App for subscriber and network services visibility with Thunder CGN’s CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT) solution.

A10 said it will foster an ecosystem of apps for 3rd party solutions that can be used to provide intelligent automation, make deployments extremely easy and validate configurations to ensure correct operation and security. In addition, apps can provide context-specific custom dashboards.

“Today, with applications being deployed on a multitude of cloud and on-premises infrastructures, app and security teams are pressured to ensure that security and availability is not compromised,” said Kamal Anand, Vice President of Cloud, A10 Networks. “The A10 Harmony Controller 4.1 enables a single pane of glass for secure app services, helping to ease the stress and burden that are weighing on IT teams”.

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Keysight provides packet-level visibility into Kubernetes

Keysight Technologies has added packet-level visibility into workloads in containers and Kubernetes clusters via its Ixia CloudLens software-as-a-service platform.

Packet visibility into containers and Kubernetes clusters can now extend across cloud platforms, including AWS Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes (EKS), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).

“The lack of granular access to cloud traffic creates blind spots which could compromise application performance or security, resulting in degraded customer experience and increased network security risk,” said Scott Register, vice president, product management for Keysight’s Ixia Solutions Group. “By expanding CloudLens support to containers, we offer the packet-level visibility that security and network teams need to diagnose critical security and performance issues in their container-based environments all in one platform.”

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