INDUSTRY

Glimmerglass, a pioneer of transparent connectivity solutions will demonstrate a dramatically improved method of testing fiber optics communications systems, network elements and optical components at SUPERCOMM 2004 in Chicago, IL (booth #10523). Unique in the industry, the Glimmerglass solution enables test engineers to re-cable all of the physical fiber connections between network interfaces, optical devices and test equipment on the fly, in milliseconds, remotely and at the touch of a button. Glimmerglass enables test engineers to effectively move their test-beds' fiber configurations forwards and backwards in time relative to alternative approaches. To move their test-beds "into the future," test engineers can use the Glimmerglass system to instantly connect hundreds of devices together in complex networks that support SONET/SDH, RPR or Ethernet/IP compliant interfaces. Alternatively, lab personnel must manually re-cable and test hundreds of fiber connections before initiating their tests -- a process that often takes hours or days. The Glimmerglass system can also move test-beds "back to the past" as well since it "remembers" each unique test bed configuration used over the course of testing. As a result, test engineers can prepare for regression testing by reloading a previously saved test configuration file into the Glimmerglass system, effectively re-cabling all of their test-bed's physical fiber connections with a single click. The Glimmerglass solution, called the System 300T fiber connection server, accomplishes this by enabling test engineers to create transparent, optical connections at the physical layer between products being tested and test equipment without electrical regeneration. Transparent connections maintain the true signal integrity of every device interface being tested and measured. Additionally, the Glimmerglass solution's transparent attributes enable it to accommodate old, new and emerging network protocols and standards with no additional investment. The Glimmerglass System 300T is therefore ideal for managing fibers in environments that rapidly change physical-layer connections between network interfaces or optical devices, such as systems verification testing, manufacturing testing of systems and components and vender interoperability testing. The System 300T reduces capital and operational expenditures and improves product quality by enabling test managers to execute additional tests in a wider variety of network configurations while shortening schedules and reducing schedule risks. "One of the world's largest networking products companies recently achieved an ROI in 4-months after installing our System 300T," said Mark Housley, president and CEO of Glimmerglass. They used it to manage fiber connections in system verification testing of a new SONET platform. Besides a 60% reduction in their test schedules, they logged an additional savings of $320,000 per year in operating expenses."