White Paper Abstract:
This white paper should be read by network operators and managers, as well as executives. It describes applications and features of Juniper’s tunable optics, and 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps options for Ethernet and SONET. Service provider networks—both metro and core—continue to converge on technologies that enable operational efficiencies and high-bandwidth multiplay offerings for consumer and business users. On the physical layer, this means optimal use of fiber via dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM). On Layers 2 and 3, this means Ethernet and IP/MPLS. Of course, SONET/SDH remains an important framing technology as well, partly because many metro
networks have already been built using ring topologies. In this convergence effort, situations often become apparent in which combining the functions of previously disparate network elements offers network simplicity and retains the service-building advantages of the overlay networks being replaced by the converged network. In particular, network operators have found that integrating optical transport technology into routers provides flexibility in provisioning that leads to the rapid rollout of new services, while allowing Layer 3 intelligence to ensure prompt responses to topology
changes. Being able to extend the DWDM capabilities to the router without the need for fixed DWDM termination equipment allows providers to offer on-demand services.