MRV intros NID for wireless backhaul and Carrier Ethernet
APRIL 1, 2008 -- MRV Communications Inc. (search for MRV) has unveiled the OptiSwitch 904, a network interface and demarcation device designed to enable carriers to make cost-effective use of Carrier Ethernet for wireless backhaul and MPLS transport (T-MPLS) access network applications.
The OS904 serves as a network interface device (NID) located at the next-generation wireless packet-base station or customer premises to terminate optical networks. It features a compact design with two LAN ports, either 100FX/1000FX SFPs or 10/100/1000Base-T RJ45 ports for LAN connections, and two 100FX/1000FX SFP ports for WAN connections. The OS904 offers a variety of optical L1/L2 VPN services, including the ability to handle E-Line (point-to-point), E-Tree (point-to-multipoint), or E-LAN (multipoint-to-multipoint) connections.
The OS904 also can be used as a demarcation device, featuring hierarchical quality of service (QoS) with L2 VPN encapsulation, selective VLAN stacking, and a path to future T-MPLS services over a packet-switched network. With these capabilities, the OS904 delivers comprehensive traffic management that gives carriers the ability to maintain strict service level agreements (SLAs) in the last mile and differentiate their service portfolio, MRV asserts.
With a suite of operations, administration, and management (OAM) features, the OS904 can provide network fault and performance management at the network demarcation point to reduce operating expenses associated with network management, in some cases up to 75%, MRV says. This reduction of opex is achieved by embedded multi-layer diagnostic tools from physical layer like optical and electrical cable faults, power fault (dying gasp IEEE802.3ah), and standards-based per service layer OAM across multiple domains (IEEE 802.1ag/ITU-T Y.1731) to measure connectivity and performance (latency, jitter, and loss) over a virtual switched packet network.
"Service termination � with support for advanced management and QoS � is crucial to use of Carrier Ethernet in wireless and access networks, but historically devices with these capabilities have been expensive and that takes away some of the cost advantage of Carrier Ethernet," said Noam Lotan, president and CEO of MRV Communications. "The OptiSwitch 904 is a breakthrough device for this market, combining the features and functionality of our other industry-leading OptiSwitch devices into a smaller form factor with a more aggressive price point."
This model incorporates the MRV Linux-based Master-OS modular operating software that is standard throughout the OptiSwitch family.
The OS904 model is available immediately.
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