The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has launched a second project that builds on the industry’s need for a pluggable coherent optics (CFP2) transceiver module. At the OIF's recent quarterly meeting, significant progress was also reportedly made on projects addressing thermal aspects, CEI-56G, E-NNI multi-domain recovery and OTNv3.
Both of the OIF’s CFP2 module projects focus on the need to make the optics inside the modules meet the power and size limitation of the form factor. The newly launched project for standardization of a micro Integrated Coherent Receiver (ICR) will enable component manufacturers to quickly ramp up production, while also reducing the cost and time to market for high volumes of pluggable modules.
"The OIF continues to look at and address the optics inside the CFP2 Coherent Optics Transceiver Module to meet the needs of the industry,” said Karl Gass the OIF’s Physical and Link Layer Working Group Vice Chair - Optical. “Members identified the ability to standardize a micro-ICR for CFP2 modules, which will help vendors bring down costs and quickly deploy the modules.”
Related: CFP2 ecosystem for 40G/100G data center is assembled
At the OIF's recent Q3 meeting, work also progressed on the Forum's recently announced Thermal Management project, as well as the CEI-56G project. The OIF Physical Layer Users Group is working to specify the surface smoothness and flatness of optical modules, which are key elements for thermal management by helping to improve heat dissipation. For CEI-56G, simulations of this proposed interface were presented to members of the Physical and Link Layer (PLL) working group. The CEI-56G work effort potentially supports both narrower 100 Gbps as well as 400 Gbps efforts.
On the networking side, members made significant progress on the External Network to Network Interface (E-NNI) multi-domain recovery and OTNv3 projects. The E-NNI Recovery Amendment adds extensions to the E-NNI to allow automated backup from failure or maintenance in multi-domain carrier networks, a critical feature of the optical control plane. The OTNv3 Amendment adds updates to the E-NNI to support the latest OTN control plane standards, now supporting rates from 1 Gbps up to 100 Gbps.
The OIF's Carrier WG [working group] meanwhile completed documenting an initial set of carrier requirements for Transport SDN, providing a framework for Transport SDN in a multi-domain carrier network and identifying requirements on signaling network, control plane and management for deploying SDN in a reliable, secure and high performance manner. OIF members are reviewing this document before it is available to the public.
Other news from the OIF includes the election of Evelyne Roch of Huawei as the Forum's Networking & Operations Working Group Chair, and plans for workshops on next-gen efforts and Transport SDN in early 2014. New OIF members to date in 2013 include Google, KAIST, Mellanox, Optelian, Ranovus, Sandvine, TELUS and US Conec.