Cost-effectively Scale Bandwidth Capacity in Stages
Bandwidth demand forecasting has become an important tool in today’s optimization of enterprise and consumer networks. As the demand for data shows no sign of slowing, network architects and engineers must accurately determine bandwidth needs when forecasting the next stage of capacity growth. Miscalculating and coming up short is not an option.
XKL has engineered a better way to add capacity when the business case demands it. All XKL products conform to a compact form factor and deliver an abundant amount of bandwidth per appliance or channel. An organization can continue to add more 10G or 100G DarkStar products until it fills all 96 channels in a single fiber pair. To add more transport units to the network node the network engineer simply utilizes an optical utility appliance such as the DMD-A or passive DMD – P mux/demux.
The DMD-A is an optical transport utility appliance; it comes equipped with a variety of filter options including 48-channel or 96-channel mux/demux and 4-band or 6-band combiner filter. It accommodates a point-to-point or east/west configuration and provides support for up to four EDFAs amplifiers, depending on other installed options. The DMD-A also includes an integrated optical switch for path protection as well as dispersion compensation. These fully integrated options are just some of the key benefits of this utility product.
Stripped down or fully loaded, this optical utility appliance is configurable with everything needed to support a DWDM infrastructure. In addition to the integrated optical switch, EDFA amplifiers are fully integrated components. Management of these devices is simplified due to this integration. A DWDM system isn’t possible without the integrated mux/demux filters. Customers can choose from a variety of filter types: 48 channel 100GHz-spaced, 96 channel 50GHz-spaced, or the band combiner filters, which provide a coarse mux/demux capability. All of these capabilities are fully integrated and packaged in 1RU or 2RU. The DMD-A is an integral part of an XKL optical network or can be a stand-alone product with the versatility to support any ITU grid optical networking equipment. The green low power footprint adds to the advantages of this platform.
An easy to use CLI familiar to network administrators is used to manage XKL products. Its auto complete feature and use of common network terminology make it simple to use for anyone familiar with router or switch interfaces. With a set and forget approach, the statements “it’s easy” and “It just works” are a common comment users make. Scheduled software updates require no downtime since the management plane is separate from the data plane. Software updates are hitless, simplifying maintenance windows.
When the proverbial backhoe takes out the conduit housing your fiber, preparation should be in place to minimize the downtime of the fiber break. Ensure you are protected with an integrated optical switch for path protection and a backup fiber pair. Enabling the optical switch can be done either manually or triggered automatically. Critical infrastructure relies on minimal interruptions of services; fiber breaks, cuts, or operator errors in the datacenter, are oftentimes a reality.
A simple to integrate, simple to manage optical utility appliance requires no optical engineering experience to effectively implement and manage. Choose an amplification and optical switch combination and build your own optical transport solution. The optical utility appliance, like all XKL products, is designed for IT staff to integrate and operate, thus reducing the need for expensive optical engineers to ensure network optimization. Total cost of ownership savings are maximized with this platform.
With more than seven years in continuous service, XKL products are designed to never go down or have any interruptions to customer traffic. The data plane is separated from the control plane, helping secure your data. Redundant power supplies, fans, and hot-swappable lasers keeps system uptimes at a maximum, ensuring customer traffic is uninterrupted. With 1+1 redundant power supplies, a DarkStar system is tolerant of a power supply failure. Similarly, hot-swappable lasers allow for minimal disruptions to customer data, and only the affected device needs to be replaced, keeping other customer data flowing. With the integrated protection schemes, a laser failure is recoverable in less than 20ms or 50ms, depending on the DarkStar product. Once the failed laser is replaced, traffic can be automatically or manually reverted back.
Mux/DeMux and Monitor Channel Filter
A passive 1RU device, the DMD-P mux/demux supports and monitors up to 96 DWDM channels. It can be used as a stand-alone filter or used in conjunction with DarkStar optical networking equipment. A DMD-P device combines and monitors any mix of 10G and 100G technologies, resulting in greater control and scalability. Use the DMD-P in point-to-point, ring, or mesh topologies.
