ADVANCING INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR A UNIFIED OPTICAL CONTROL PLANE

摘要

A unified optical control plane promises to simplify operational procedures, lower costs, and enable dynamic new service offerings in service provider networks. In recent months, much progress has been made testing and demonstrating several key standardized control plane initiatives, including GMPLS and UNI/NNI. These tests not only validate the technical merit of these standards, but also signal to service providers that the technology is rapidly maturing and worthy of serious evaluation. Evaluation does not mean adoption, however, and there are still challenges to be overcome. Key to overcoming these hurdles is technology capable of supporting both traditional provisioning process and these emerging control plane initiatives to make the transition as seamless as possible. With the introduction of intelligent optical switches, service providers can selectively take advantage of a unified optical control plane, while still supporting their existing static services and provisioning processes.