Menara Networks to provide 10GbE transponders to Ocean Observatories Initiative

Menara Networks, Inc. says its OTN “system-in-module” DWDM XFP transponder is providing 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) backbone optical transmission over an 850-km cabled underwater research facility off the coast of Oregon. The link is part of Regional Scale Nodes (RSN), the cabled component of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI).

The OOI is intended to provide 25 years of sustained ocean measurements to study climate variability, ocean circulation and ecosystem dynamics, air-sea exchange, seafloor processes, and plate-scale geodynamics. The OOI is a networked infrastructure of interactive, science-driven sensor systems to measure the physical, chemical, geological, and biological variables in the ocean and seafloor. Greater knowledge of these variables should improve detection and forecasting of environmental changes and their effects on biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, and climate, the OOI organizers believe.

As a component of OOI, the RSN will initially provide up to 170 kW of power and 240 Gbps of TCP/IP data communications to the seven primary science nodes on the Juan de Fuca Plate off the Washington and Oregon coasts. It is being designed, built, and installed by L-3 MariPro under a contract from the University of Washington, which leads the implementation of the RSN. The 25-year-life system is designed to support significant expansion capabilities to serve future science needs and technological advances with minimal impact to the initially installed primary infrastructure.

“We needed a reliable, 10GbE DWDM transmission solution able to support the high reliability requirements of subsea applications while minimizing the footprint on our wet plant. Traditional chassis-based transponders were not a viable option given space and power requirements,” said Dan Chabot, vice president of business operations for L-3 MariPro. “Menara’s DWDM transponder system in an XFP form factor is an ideal ‘zero footprint’ solution that we seamlessly integrated into our Ethernet switch, allowing the wet plant footprint to be used solely by the switches and power equipment.”

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