ODSI to Define Interface between Optical and Service Network Layers
By: Erik Kreifeldt
The Optical Domain Service Interconnect (ODSI) initiative is working on interoperability between the optical cloud and the service cloud of next-generation networks, defining physical interfaces and control protocols (see Coalition to Address Next-Generation Optical Networking Interoperability). "We're looking to make a very clean hand-off from the optical layer to the service layer," says <%=company%>'s Jeff Kiel, vice president of product marketing, whose company develops optical layer equipment.
Intelligent optical equipment rapidly provisions and re-provisions optical bandwidth, creating what Kiel characterizes as an optical dial tone. ODSI seeks to develop a way for service layer equipment to control that provisioning, and make calls with the optical dial tone. With a well-defined interface and signaling mechanism, edge devices, primarily Internet protocol routers, can call up optical paths over which to transport packets, Kiel explains.
ODSI will leverage existing technology and standards toward its goal of defining an interface between the optical layer and service layer. "Nothing needs to be invented," Kiel notes. Sycamore will propose using the popular multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) strategy to define control protocols, but ODSI will entertain other strategies, Kiel reports.
Focus
ODSI plans to define an interface between optical equipment and service equipment, demonstrate interoperability between different vendor's equipment using the interface by the end of the year, and then hand off the specifications to a standards body, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and other forums, such as the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF).
"We're trying to keep this simple and focused," says Sycamore's Scott Larson, director of marketing and strategic programs. The group will not address technology issues within either the optical or service network clouds. "We're focused on where those clouds meet," Kiel says. "No one has really focused on this hand-off between layers," he adds, noting that standards bodies and forums have addressed issues within those areas.
Participants
In accordance with the group's focus, the ODSI participant list includes developers of optical network gear, terabit routers, and carriers. Conspicuously absent from the list of ODSI participants are established telecom vendors, such as Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ) and Nortel Networks (Brampton, ON), as well as traditional carriers, such as AT&T (New York) and Bell Atlantic (New York). Representatives from both traditional vendors and carriers will attend the meeting and participate in the effort, if not in the initial publicity, Larson reports.
Both Kiel and Larson emphasize that ODSI is a multi-technology, multi-vendor initiative. "This is not a Sycamore thing. We'd like as wide a participation as possible," Kiel says. Sycamore rival Ciena Corp. (Linthicum, MD) appears on the list, as well as Tellium (Oceanport, NJ) and metro DWDM start-up Chromatis Networks (Bethesda, MD).
"There's an extreme amount of interest in this," rasps Larson, who is the point man on the project and hoarse from the effort. "It all came together pretty quickly." He says the effort started out as a much smaller group two months ago, then expanded rapidly in the last few weeks. Despite the diverse crowd and mutual need to establish a workable interface between the network layers, ODSI does not aspire to permanent status. "The idea is to come together, solve the problem, and disband," Kiel says.