Carrier Ethernet
Ethernet-Based Services
Assessing Ethernet business services, from turn-up testing, to baselining, troubleshooting, monitoring and SLA conformance
As Ethernet is making headway into service providers’ networks, Carrier Ethernet testing becomes essential. With its additional operation, administration and maintenance capabilities, Ethernet can now be viewed as a carrier-grade networking technology.
Basic Ethernet Topology
To deliver carrier-grade Ethernet, network service providers can implement Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH and leverage their existing assets while delivering new services. Or, they can implement a connection-oriented Ethernet access link that will provide them with a network that is as manageable as SONET/SDH, but with the cost-efficiency of Ethernet.
besides that, service providers need to turn up next-generation Ethernet services more quickly to get to revenue faster. What’s more, they need to manage a multitude of ever-evolving technologies and deploy mobile backhaul, data-center interconnect and Ethernet business services more efficiently. Conversely, field technicians need to rapidly learn and gain proficiency in all these new technologies to keep pace with a host of new testing requirements. This poses a challenge to many service providers, who have limited budgets for test equipment and training, and are struggling to reduce repeat calls and network issues.
High Speed Network
Network Expansion: Up to 100G Testing
The combination of digital media, personal computing and global networking is creating a radical shift in the telecom industry. The key trend is towards IP-fi xed/mobile network convergence for the delivery of voice, video and data applications with IP (and Ethernet) as a common universal platform fueled by the exponential growth of video, gaming, collaboration and cloud-computer applications. This trend significantly stresses the transport backbones, which have been built on 10G wavelengths, and is driving the need for upgrades to 40G and 100G.
Given that many carriers have begun mass deployment of their 100G networks, a couple of questions arise: first, is 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) testing different than 10 GigE testing? Second, what needs to be tested during the deployment of a new 100 GigE network?
Fiber Network Monitoring and Management
CENTRALIZED FIBER TESTING AND MONITORING SOLUTIONS
OTDR are commonly known to network operators as portable units, but EXFO also integrates them in rackmount equipment along with optical switch and controller units. These are used to perform on demand troubleshooting of any fiber connecting to the equipment, whether it transports live traffic or not, and whether it is connected permanently or temporary. Routine maintenance tests can therefore be schedule and automated to dramatically simplify this process.
