Manage your LAB or DATACENTRUM without physical contact
Full-optical switching enables rapid reconfiguration of system resources to increase efficiency in test benches and speed up test cycles
ISPs and data centre operators must thoroughly test new equipment and services before integrating them into existing infrastructure to ensure reliability and proper operation.
In addition, they are forced to test this equipment in a variety of practical interfaces with other equipment to ensure quality of service, safety and minimise downtime.
With the increasing demands on infrastructure, the network lab is becoming more complex and expensive. When using a traditional Layer 2/3 infrastructure to implement a test environment, the demands and costs of test equipment increase rapidly with each transition to higher speeds or format change.
Full optical switching provides a transparent, user-configurable physical layer, independent of transmission format and bit rate. In an era where speed and flexibility are paramount, optical switching allows customers to reconfigure a test topology in seconds instead of hours or days.
Interview from #ECOC2019 with Nick Parsons, SVP Engineering & Technology at HUBER+SUHNER, where we hear about the Polatis optical switch portfolio that is increasingly being used to automate optical connectivity in networks.
A resilient power strategy is critical to maintaining connectivity availability. Nick explains how operational reliability can be guaranteed with the release of a new integrated battery backup option for Polatis optical switches.
Watch the video to find out more.
Solution
Using full optical switching in test benches brings incredible flexibility and great savings:
Reduced operating costs
Thanks to the ability to switch any ports between each other, you only need to connect the device once to the optical switch and the tests can be configured instantly, saving about 75% of the time with switching. Tests can be configured and performed remotely, significantly reducing labor and travel costs.
Reduced acquisition costs
Expensive test and network equipment can be used for multiple tests simultaneously, allowing more tests to be served by fewer devices.
Increased accuracy and speed of response
The all-optical links are fully transparent without packet processing, so tests are performed with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. In addition, network topologies can be simulated on demand so that any problems can be quickly identified and resolved.
Future proof
All-optical switches are transparent to wavelength, direction, protocol and bit rate, allowing the switch to be used for any optical signal, even for speeds of 400 Gbps or more.
Summary
As networks and data centers evolve, the demands on the complexity and speed of the structures being tested are increasing. Full optical switching can greatly simplify the configuration of advanced test topologies and significantly impact lab operations. HUBER+SUHNER POLATIS has the optimal solution for this application.