Optelian has announced the availability of an Ethernet aggregation card for its LightGAIN Optical Networking System. In addition to intelligent Layer 2 switching capability, the new card offers Optical Transport Network (OTN) support on its 10-Gbps trunk interfaces, Optelian says.
The new card is targeted at Ethernet access, backhaul, and metro networking applications. It aggregates up to eight Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) clients onto a single 10GbE line signal for efficient wavelength use in packet-based networks. Dual 10-Gbps trunk ports enable multiple cards to be connected in a linear or ring topology with Layer 2 protection. E-Line and E-LAN type services are supported using IEEE 802.1ad Provider Bridging (Q-in-Q). The card also fully supports Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) using highly customizable and sophisticated load balancing algorithms, Optelian adds.
Each trunk interface can be independently configured to LAN or WAN PHY, enabling the card to also act as a 10-Gbps LAN-to-WAN PHY converter. OTN wrapping can be enabled on each trunk interface using either standard G.709 forward error correction (FEC) or Super FEC, providing reach extension and full OTN trace and tandem connection monitoring capabilities for trunk port connections, Optelian says. All configuration is done remotely via Optelian Network Manager (ONM) or through a local craft interface.
“We are firmly committed to supporting OTN capabilities across our entire portfolio,” said Sheldon Walklin, Optelian CTO. “In addition to reach extension and comprehensive path monitoring, OTN’s FEC essentially provides an error-free connection between Layer 2 trunk ports under normal variations of power, OSNR, and other optical impairments. This cleanly decouples trunk link quality from Layer 2 packet loss mechanisms. Moreover, unlike Layer 2 signal quality monitoring methods, OTN accounts for every bit transmitted.”
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