networkZONE Products for the week of September 23, 2002
Agere Systems Says…
Agere Systems Introduces One Of Industry's Most Integrated
Multi-Rate Framers For 10 Gigabits-Per-Second Optical Networks
First in a family of enhanced framer solutions offers significant
reduction in board and software development time; industry's lowest power
and cost per port
Agere Systems Inc. has introduced an integrated circuit (IC) for SONET/SDH
framing applications in high-speed optical networks -- especially metropolitan
networks -- that offers one of the industry's highest levels of integration
with the lowest cost and power per port among competitive devices.
Agere's TSOT1610G is the first multi-rate, multi-channel framer and pointer processor IC that can multiplex 16 channels of OC-3, 16 channels of OC-12 or four channels of OC-48 into a single 10 gigabits-per-second (Gbits/s) OC-192 optical network stream. Such integration will help dramatically cut development time, costs and footprint, while increasing the functionality and performance of optical networking equipment. Samples are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of this year, with volume production expected in the first quarter of 2003.
Addresses multi-service switching platforms, add-drop multiplexers and digital cross-connects with one comprehensive solution
Today's networks are a hybrid of old and new technologies, requiring systems and components that seamlessly connect disparate networks. Integrated components that can be used across a variety of applications and line cards give systems original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) the ability to greatly simplify their hardware and software developments through reuse, and to easily upgrade existing systems to increase port density and lower overall system costs (See Figure 1). Market demands are driving equipment providers to deliver solutions that increase bandwidth and access while lowering costs and power per port.
"With the growth in metropolitan area network (MAN) applications, system makers are increasingly looking for integrated components that can reduce costs and manage SONET traffic effectively at multiple data rates," said Allan Armstrong, director of optical transport semiconductors with RHK. "By employing a single framer solution like the TSOT1610G across multiple line cards, OEMs can significantly reduce their software and hardware development time."
For network vendors designing new systems or upgrading existing ones, a reduction in component size allows them to increase port density or design smaller shelves for equipment in a central office.
"Agere believes that it has a unique expertise in highly integrated system-level IC solutions for multi-service networks," said Nathaniel Grier, marketing director, Agere's optical access and transport division. "This expertise, along with having one of the broadest portfolios of high-speed SONET/SDH- and Gigabit Ethernet-based components in the industry, allows us to offer products with exceptional performance, smaller packages and low cost of ownership."
Single integrated IC addresses multiple high-density line card applications
With the increase in demand for network access services, MANs have become a traffic bottleneck. MAN applications typically require a high level of aggregation, requiring multiplexing of voice, data, and video signals from lower to higher rates.
Based on advanced CMOS-based IC technologies, Agere's TSOT1610G framer/pointer processor device can aggregate multiple data rate signals and perform several essential traffic management functions simultaneously. For the first time, one application-specific standard product (ASSP) can be used to multiplex 16 channels of OC-12, 16 channels of OC-3 or four channels of OC-48 into a single 10 Gbits/s stream, and make the reverse conversion as well (See Figure 2). The TSOT1610G functions as a complete, single-chip standalone solution for a multitude of line card applications configured for OC-192, 4 x OC-48, 16 x OC-12 and 16 x OC-3.
"Never before has so much traffic management flexibility been packed into a single piece of silicon," said Grier. "The TSOT will enable customers to reduce their development time, while addressing multiple line card applications with only one framer. Customer response to this new device has been very positive."
The TSOT1610G also features built-in bi-directional 10 Gbits/s grooming switches, dual 4 x 2.5 Gbits/s and dual 16 x 622 megabits-per-second (Mbits/s) backplane interfaces, a secondary SFI-4 optics interface, and extremely flexible transport overhead (TOH) transparency. The TOH function enables equipment vendors to build metro dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) products that cost-effectively address the problem of fiber exhaust. In addition, the TSOT1610G supports specific features required for the SDH market such as tandem connection monitoring, B1 and B3 block error monitoring, SS-bit provisioning and SS-bit overwriting (for SONET/SDH bridge applications).
Unparalleled flexibility and low power for optimal network management
Agere's TSOT features two built-in hitless time-slot interchange (TSI) switches equipped with two sets of work and protect connection memory maps. The TSOT1610G can be easily used in 1+1 linear protection, UPSR or BLSR ring applications. It also connects seamlessly to Agere's extensive portfolio of transport products and provides industry standard interfaces to other products -- such as high-speed transponders, transceivers, forward-error correction (FEC) devices, cross connect devices and lower rate framers -- further simplifying system design and reducing development costs for customers.
Comprehensive software, applications and collateral support
The TSOT1610G is supported by a comprehensive suite of software tools for specific customer applications, including drivers, an application program interface (API), product brief, data sheet and application notes for various operating modes. The TSOT1610G is also software and plug- compatible with the Agere family of communications and networking ICs, so scalability and migration are seamless for customers. The new framer also complements Agere's existing Gigabit Ethernet product lines.
Aggressive pricing and complete application solutions
Agere anticipates that it will be able to price the TSOT1610G to competitively
address all applications from 16 x OC-3 through 1 x OC-192. Agere also offers
full line card applications support, with a complete portfolio of products
from physical layer to fabric and system timing functions
analogZONE Says . . .
Although it addresses a slightly different portion of the Metro SONET market, this nicely-featured OC-192 framer from Agere shares many characteristics with the OC-48 framer from PMC-Sierra also reviewed this week. Both chips use their company's system-level expertise and high integration levels to reduce the cost, power, and space required to increase the line density of metro market equipment. While Agere does not sport the highly-integrated line interfaces that the PMC part does (much harder to do at OC-192), Agere's framer has aggressively integrated complex channelization logic and a high-speed backplane interface to let you save both power and cost.
The TSOT1610G's line-side interface can be wired up with different combinations of PHYs ranging from a single OC-192 to 16 OC-3s. OC-3 through OC-192. The line-side feeds can be passed through its programmable bi-directional de-muxes to groom and break down the OC-192 stream into 4-OC-48 streams, or further split 4-OC-48 channels into 16 OC-12 flows.
Since carriers are very interested in the efficient channelization of their fat pipes, you'll appreciate Agere's on-chip, non-blocking Time Slot Interchange (TSI) switches that let you re-route and groom channels down to the STS-1 level. Besides the obvious reduction in parts count, this ability to mix-and-match line rates in nearly any combination with a single chip can significantly reduce the cost per port of a product line by maximizing re-use of hardware and software development efforts.
But wait - there's more. This frame also sports a secondary (bi-directional) line interface (See Figure 2) that lets the chip perform transparent multiplexing (does not touch overhead) for DWDM applications.
Then there is the on-chip backplane interface. It can be configured as either a group of 16 622 Mbit/s STM (LVDS signal levels) SERDES channels, or a 4 X 2.4 Gbit SERDES (CML signal levels) using pseudo-SONET framing.
While the press release above does not discuss the framer's tandem connection feature -I thought I'd bring it up because it's an important function to have in the European market. This allows you to separate and identify error rates of individual flows at the network boundaries between service providers. While not such a big deal in North America where traffic often flows across a single carrier's equipment from end-to-end, European (and some North American) equipment makers will appreciate how this feature allows providers to manage SLAs across multiple network boundaries.
Pricing will be under $1000 in 5K volumes, Sampling
late Q4, with production early '03.
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