By Lisa Huff, Discerning Analytics | Posted: 11 March 2016
Data center interconnect (DCI) is a growing market for the entire optical value chain – from carriers to optical component suppliers. Standard OTN, DWDM, Carrier Ethernet or legacy SONET/SDH alone cannot address the high-bandwidth, low-power and high-density demands of DCI. As a result, many equipment makers have developed specific solutions to address it. Some of these solutions are described below.
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By Omar Hassen, Associate Vice President of Connectivity Business, AppliedMicro | Posted: 11 March 2016
As will no doubt be evident at this year’s OFC, the strong demand in 100G Ethernet is being driven by cloud services and hyperscale data centers. Data center customers are demanding a steep downward trajectory in the cost of 100G pluggable transceivers. Existing 100G module MSAs (Multi-Source Agreements) such as PSM4 and CWDM4 have limited capacity for cost reduction due to the cost of the fiber (PSM4) and the large number of components (both PSM4 & CWDM4). Similarly, two-lambda PAM4 (2x50G) trades off some optical components for a more expensive DSP and will struggle to improve upon the cost of CWDM4.
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By Lisa Huff, Discerning Analytics | Posted: 10 March 2016
Data centers have become the largest target client sector for equipment manufacturers and components suppliers over the past ten years. Yet many of these vendors still do not understand that when it comes to data centers, none are the same. And, while there are large categories of data centers, within them there can be considerable variation in networking needs. In fact, some of the largest data centers network asset acquisition trends have changed drastically in this time period.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 8 March 2016
With OFC 2016 just around the corner, you’re probably starting to select your favorite topics and plan your visit. I’ve been using the official OFC app on my Android phone to help keep track of the relevant sessions I’d like to see every day. One of this year’s hot topics will be the design of components and architectures for next generation data centers, which will be featured at the OFC Data Center Summit . Speakers from IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and many others unite to bring you this exciting event, showcasing breakthrough technologies that are reshaping modern data centers.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 4 March 2016
Still wondering whether you should attend OFC 2016? There’s never been a more important time to stay in touch with the innovations that will be presented at OFC.
Cloud Computing and Optical Networking
Cloud computing is only one of the many ways that optical networking will continue to drive disruptive change across multiple industries. Optical networking has become a key enabler for all types of cloud computing (public, private, and hybrid). And the cloud has many far reaching business implications. Consider the impact on software development, a field that you might not associate with optical communications at first glance.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 15 September 2015
As discussed in my previous blog from the Majorca at MIT microphotonics workshop, it’s clear that data center architectures have become a driving force behind photonic component development (as opposed to telecommunication applications). The second day of this workshop highlighted recent developments in photonic components, protocols, and software, included several presentations from members of the Open Fabric Alliance.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 2 September 2015
One topic of note at the MIT Workshop on Photonics in Servers and Routers, commonly known as “Majorca at MIT” was the assertion made five years ago at the first Majorca meeting about network architectures migrating from the campus LAN into the data center, and then into boards and chips.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 18 August 2015
Casimer DeCusatis' special report from the MIT Workshop on Photonics in Servers and Routers, also known as Majorca at MIT.
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By Casimer DeCausitus | Posted: 29 June 2015
One of the hot topics at this year’s OFC annual meeting was the impact of 100 Gbit/s data rates on metro and long haul networks. OFC ran a panel discussion sponsored by the IEEE Photonics Society, IEEE Communications Society, and OSA to consider how current market dynamics, combined with shifting traffic patterns in the MAN and WAN, would impact ongoing efforts to grow 100G installations. While some people have claimed 2015 may be the year that metro 100G takes off, others have questioned whether 100G really solves any meaningful problems in the MAN.
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By By Casimer DeCusatis, Ph.D. | Posted: 27 April 2015
There was a lot of discussion at OFC last month about enabling the Internet of Things (IoT), a next generation interconnect technology that could profoundly change almost every aspect of our daily lives. Although the IoT is almost certainly over-hyped right now, at least according to a recent Gartner Group report, there’s a clear trend in the industry towards interconnecting massive numbers of devices on pervasive, wireless networks. I’ve always been an advocate for new technologies, and usually I can’t wait to try out “the next big thing”, but while I can’t wait for some of the new features promised by the IoT, I’m also starting to lose sleep thinking about how to manage and provide security for all those new networked devices.
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