By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 17 March 2016
When it comes to optically interconnected network routers, do you prefer your boxes white or black? We’re discussing whether you believe in “bare metal” hardware that requires you to install your own operating system (white box), or heavily pre-integrated hardware and software solutions (black box). This intriguing question will be examined in depth during the always popular OFC rump session on Tuesday night.
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By Lisa Huff, Discerning Analytics | Posted: 15 March 2016
Even though Gigabit Ethernet has been around for more than 10 years now and 10-Gigabit Ethernet for more than seven years, 10G’s adoption rate was slow. Its deployment only passed that of Gigabit three short years ago – in 2013. The reasons are really two-fold: cost and density. As a result, we will see a more fragmented data center market. We expect small and medium enterprise data centers to continue to upgrade their servers from 1G to 10G and use 40G in the aggregation layer, while large and very large may instead transition to 25G using 100G in their aggregation layer.
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By Ward Williams, Chief Commercial Officer, ProLabs | Posted: 15 March 2016
There is some underlying confusion in the market about transceiver warranties and what can make them void – if anything. As a provider of third-party transceivers focused on quality and value over brand name, we wanted to debunk the myths bring clarity to any uncertainty and ease any doubt in the minds of consumers, so they can make the best choices for their business.
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By Casimer DeCusatis | Posted: 14 March 2016
Loyal readers of my blog will recall that during last year’s OFC rump session, I reported that audience members felt the next step for OFC would involve discussing connected cities. That time has come faster than you might expect, with the introduction of the Connected OFCity Challenge on Monday at OFC 2016. This unique event is the sort of experience that you won’t find at other technical conferences, and promises to generate lots of interesting discussion.
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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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