FIRM

FIRM – Field trial with Integrated ROADMs and GMPLS compliance
(Celtic Project CP1-028)
July 2004 – June 2006
Role: Technical Contributor

Nowadays optical networks need flexible low cost optical equipment and embedded intelligence to provide lower complexity in the management systems and more flexibility in an all-optical dynamic reliable network deployment. Currently, there are emerging companies that are developing new optical components and subs-systems (Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP), XFP, transceiver multi-source, tunable lasers, optical amplifiers, external modulators, OADMs (Add and Drop Multiplexer), O/O/O switching, network monitoring among others) with embedded intelligence. Next generation low-cost optical networking equipment will need this new optical components and sub-systems with easily intregrated interfaces for their inter-operability. The FIRM project aims to improve a strong collaboration among optical components manufacturer and optical networking developers, to provide the industry and the research community with a cost effective solution and a field trial. FIRM will turn current static OADM into Reconfigurable-OADM, with widely tunable transceivers up to 2,5Gbps or 10 Gbps. An easy and basic management system will be achieved to provide basic services: QoS, Network Monitoring and set-up or tear-down connections. This management system will be responsible to set-up or tear down channels and perform monitoring. It will give to the GMPLS control plane an IP destination, and the GMPLS will manage to provide the channel. Moreover, the NMS will monitor all the variables described in a MIB, and actuate over them if needed. The ROADMs prototypes will be integrated in a field trial based on an ASON model and dynamically controlled by an IP-based GMPLS control plane already provided by the partners Hence, to easily integrate the ROADMs and the GMPLS control plane, the FIRM project will also develop an open CCI (Connection Controller Interface) to manage optical equipments in compliance with the GSMPv3 standard being under development. Collaborations with ITU-T, IETF or OIF in the definition of new standards will be achieved. In order to evaluate the integrated system solution in a real scenario with real end-users, the i2cat project will provide its contents and services. From the telco operators point of view and taking into account investment needs, a study of an implementation strategy of the business model and an analysis of the techno-economic viability of next generation networks will be also provided.