ENGINEERING

GMPLS UNI Expands Multi-Layer Control Plane for Seamless Interoperability  

ADVA Optical Networking has launched a new User Network Interface (UNI) for its Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) control plane - RAYcontrol. The new functionality enables users to seamlessly unite packet optical networks with optical transport technology. RAYcontrol can now encapsulate the optical transport domain into a virtual topology and expose available resources to a packet domain. The new capability facilitates packet-optical integration and enables client equipment, such as IP/MPLS routers, to interoperate with the transport layer in a seamless manner, providing maximum service velocity and ease-of-use.

“This represents a significant milestone in the development of packet optical networks,” said Luc Ceuppens, Vice President Product Marketing of Juniper Networks. “For the first time the industry has a method to integrate packet networks and optical domains into one seamless network while retaining their traditional control and management mechanisms. This dramatically increases the service speed and reliability for operators. We’ve already seen a strong response from our customers who need this level of transparency and service automation between routers and optical transport equipment.”

The exchange of routing information between network layers and domains requires communication through a standardized interface. The GMPLS UNI has been developed and standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to support this communication for on-demand creation and deletion of connections. When the packet domain activates a service traversing the virtual topology describing the optical network, the optical network components required to realize that service are automatically configured to match the requested service. The IP/MPLS routers and the optical transport layer interoperate and act in unison without the need for manual intervention.  

“Our GMPLS control plane is one of the best kept secrets in the industry,” commented Christoph Glingener, CTO of ADVA Optical Networking. “With the addition of the GMPLS UNI, RAYcontrolTM answers one of the most critical needs in the industry, providing seamless integration between packet networks and optical domains. Our global research and development team have worked directly with customers to understand their exact needs here and the result is something special. It’s a critical element for service providers as they seek to leverage their platforms to drive greater efficiency and automation.”

Watch our joint video with Juniper Networks to learn more about our GMPLS control plane and the future of networking: http://adva.li/juniper.