Fujitsu Announces Connection-Oriented Ethernet Transport for their Packet Optical Networking Platforms

Business Wire, June 11, 2008

Optical Networking Leader Supports IEEE Standard PBB-TE for Scalable Ethernet Infrastructure

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Fujitsu Network Communications, a leading supplier of innovative optical and wireless networking solutions, recognizes the critical need that service providers have for building a scalable Ethernet aggregation and transport infrastructure. To help their many service provider customers achieve this goal, Fujitsu is announcing today IEEE standard Provider Backbone Bridging with Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE) support for their newly announced FLASHWAVE([R]) CDS and award-winning FLASHWAVE 9500 packet optical networking platforms.

"Service providers are looking for a mix of standards-based technologies that can accelerate their transition to a flexible Ethernet-based aggregation and transport infrastructure," said Stan Hubbard, senior analyst at Heavy Reading. "Connection-oriented Ethernet using PBB-TE allows the deployment of an Ethernet infrastructure that bears all the classic optical infrastructure characteristics - like 50ms protecting switching, protocol transparency, private-line quality of service, and robust fault management on software-simple elements - that have allowed service providers to build profitable, scalable network businesses. The end result is an efficient solution that aggregates and transports Ethernet connections to core IP/MPLS/VPLS networks while simultaneously supporting native E-Line services."

Fujitsu sees circuit-based PBB-TE technology as a complement to routed IP/MPLS technology rather than as a replacement. PBB-TE fits into the metro aggregation network where it serves the critical need of collecting and backhauling Ethernet circuits from access locations back to the multi-service edge, which is the gateway to the backbone IP/MPLS network. PBB-TE is well-suited for this backhaul application because it matches the circuit-based operational approach of the metro network, supports the hub-and-spoke nature of the traffic demand, and enables the remote deployment of software-simple elements to funnel Ethernet traffic back to the more complex IP/MPLS routed core.

The Fujitsu packet optical networking platforms allow service providers to create a distributed, connection-oriented Ethernet aggregation and transport infrastructure that natively delivers Ethernet private line and virtual private line services, and backhauls Ethernet traffic to the IP service edge. By integrating PBB-TE, also known as IEEE standard 802.1Qay, into the Fujitsu packet optical networking portfolio, service providers can construct a single universal optical infrastructure that aggregates both traditional TDM traffic and Ethernet traffic over a tightly integrated ROADM transport layer. Networks designed around packet optical networking platforms and PBB-TE make efficient use of metro wavelengths, conserve costly router ports when providing Ethernet-based access to IP services, and eliminate redundant network elements and associated cost.

"PBB-TE is an ideal technology for building Ethernet infrastructure because it delivers not only the connection performance levels that have been missing in service provider networks, but it does so in a way that is completely consistent with the simple, circuit-centric operational approach used in metro aggregation and transport networks," said Rod Naphan, vice president of product and strategic planning at Fujitsu Network Communications. "PBB-TE provides the option to push sophistication to a centralized management system while allowing network element software on distributed elements to remain simple and easy to operate."

The patented universal switching fabric in the FLASHWAVE 9500 platform switches PBB-TE transport tunnels as easily as it switches SONET connections, allowing for full grooming of all Ethernet transport tunnels across the full bandwidth of the system to maximize efficiency. This switching flexibility eliminates the need for stacking a subtended Ethernet service element for aggregation functionality, which creates significant capital and operational cost savings at hub locations. The tight integration between the universal switch fabric and the pluggable ROADM cards on the FLASHWAVE 9500 platform bring Ethernet aggregation to a WDM network within a single network element. The FLASHWAVE CDS two-slot chassis approach provides optional PBB-TE tunnel origination at customer locations and economical homing to the packet optical network.

"The PBB-TE capabilities of these FLASHWAVE platforms can be used to provide a new class of connection-oriented Ethernet private line services (EPL and EVPL) with 50ms protection switching and private-line-equivalent loss, latency, and jitter performance," continued Naphan. "These private line services can be provided directly by the optical network without requiring backhaul to a complex service element. In the future, the aggregation network could evolve to use a unified GMPLS-based control plane for WDM, TDM and PBB-TE - offering carriers a consistent control plane approach across all aggregation and transport network layers."