4 November 2003 Hayward, CA Lightwave - Glimmerglass is coming out of stealthmode and introducing three transparent connectivity products based on the same core technology. The three products in the System 300 family include the System 300T Fiber Connection Server for product test and measurement applications, the System 300E Layer 1 Fiber Switch for the enterprise applications, and the System 300V Fiber Routing Switcher for video over fiber applications.
At the core of each System 300 product is the company's Brilliance micro-photonics technology, comprised of Brilliant Connections, a very low loss, highly scalable, fully transparent switching architecture; and Brilliant Controls, an intelligent, fast, reliable, and patented control technology.
The System 300T Fiber Connection Servicer is designed for research and development and manufacturing organizations. It establishes, maintains and manages transparent connections - direct fiber optic links between devices. Its web-based graphical user interface and its file-system capabilities enable test engineers to quickly and easily alter individual fiber connections via simple mouse clicks.
Fully transparent, the System 300T Fiber Connection Server simultaneously supports any protocol and any data rate from any tested device, making it the most flexible, future-proof solution available. There are never any additional blades to purchase or upgrades required in order to support new network standards. Unlike traditional switch alternatives, the System 300T does not destroy the original light signals transmitted by devices-under-test, making it possible to measure bit-error-rates and optical signal levels automatically. The system's Photonic Multicasting feature enables engineers to employ a single traffic generator and simulcast traffic to load as many as eight fiber interfaces. The System 300T can even simulate more than 16 fiber cuts in less than 10 msecs to effectively test network elements in real-world fault conditions.
The System 300T Fiber Connection Server supports 850-nm, 1310-nm and 1550-nm fiber communications in rings, ring interconnections, and star configurations of degree 2, 3, 4 and beyond. Built to adhere to strict telecom standards, the System 300T supports 32x32, 64x64, 80x80, and a 40x40 fiber port configuration that can be upgraded over time in packages of 8x8 fiber ports. The System 300T operates as a strictly non-blocking fiber patch-panel, supporting any present and future protocols and data rates on any fiber.
The System 300V Fiber Routing Switcher is designed for mobile production trucks, sports venues, professional video facilities, campuses and surveillance networks. The System 300V was developed for environments where reliable, high quality video must be managed across long distances using fiber optics cables.
It delivers guaranteed, non-blocking, deterministic switched video connections on fiber-optic links. Conventional video routers and switchers use coaxial cables, limiting switched video transmissions to just 100 meters for high-definition (HD) formats and 300 meters for standard-definition (SD) formats. The System 300V eliminates these restrictions, switching any video format over distances of more than 20 km.
Data rates from 10 Mbits/sec to beyond 40 Gbits/sec and every video format can be economically transmitted, connected, disconnected, switched, monitored and simulcasted at least twenty kilometers without loss of signal quality. Built to operate in the field, the System 300V supports various configurations of multi-format functionality in 32x32, 64x64, 80x80 and in a 40x40 fiber port configuration that can be upgraded in 8x8 fiber port increments. The System 300V supports SD video, HD video, analog stereo audio, analog video, AES/EBU digital audio, intercom, CCU data and even remote contact closures.
The System 300E Layer 1 Fiber switch is designed for business continuity applications and high-performance scientific, government and enterprise data networks. The System 300E is well suited for environments that demand reliable, resilient, affordable, and, very high-performance Ethernet and storage area networking (SAN) communications.
It delivers guaranteed, non-blocking, deterministic switched fiber connections. The System 300E can make multi-vendor, multi-protocol and multi-data rate networks more resilient and agile, eliminating the high costs associated with equipment outages and fiber cuts. Compared to layer 2 or 3 switches, transparent connectivity at layer 1 provides IT managers a more affordable alternative to protect business-critical networks or to sustain tremendous bandwidth performance.
System 300E is ideal for government and scientific networks that seek affordable, very high bandwidth connections between computing elements, such as between grid-computing clusters, network routers connected through Internet peering exchanges or large data storage facilities. Delivering transparent connections, the System 300E supports communications of every data format over singlemode fiber, from 10 Mbits/sec to Gigabit Ethernet and SAN, 10-Gbit/sec Ethernet and even 40 Gbits/sec. The System 300E also supports multimode fiber at data-rates up to 1.25 Gbits/sec to deliver protection and rapid topology reconfigurations of FDDI, ATM, ESCON, Fibre Channel, and SONET/SDH.
All three products are currently available globally through Glimmerglass and its distribution partners. Company representatives tailor proposals that may include optional system configurations and features appropriate for customers' specific application requirements. Typical configurations are priced less than $100,000.
Founded by a team of micro-photonics veterans in 2000, Glimmerglass is funded by top venture capital firms including Mobius Venture Capital, Onset Ventures, CDP Capital-Technology Ventures, Applied Materials Ventures, and Anthem Venture Partners.