24
AUTOMATION
Allocating capacity
The only way today’s optical networks can handle
unpredictable traffic demands and service level guarantees
is through pre-deployment of hardware. As a result, network
capacity and other infrastructure is often sitting idle and
not generating revenue. With a software-defined optical
network equipped with configurable optics, CSPs can
dynamically allocate capacity as needed to meet business
objectives and changing customer demands using existing
deployed assets.
In the future, networks will be simpler, with fewer layers
and more automated multi-vendor, multi-domain service
orchestration. New analytic capabilities will enable prob lems
to be detected and addressed before they happen, avoiding
service fluctuations and even outages.
Additionally, machine learning will enable us to
understand what the expected end-of-life wavelength fill
will be for specific paths and increase capacity rates of
deployed coherent optics so that CSPs can better monetise
their assets. Using this new approach, unexpected service
demands will be dealt with in minutes without the need for
field visits.
planners can use network management and planning tools
to operate existing network assets more efficiently and
avoid premature overbuilds.
Another factor restricting agility in optical networks is
that, today, these networks are planned using predicted
worst-case capacity and end-of-life system scenarios. They
are built assuming a static mode of operation where the
capacity rate of each wavelength is fixed. If capacity is
over-estimated, network providers are left with an inefficient
network, paying for equipment that is sitting idle. On the flip
side, if new demands arise unexpectedly, they need to go
through new lengthy and costly planning and deployment
cycles. It is time to challenge these traditional practices.
Why manage optical networks in a static mode when
capacity depends on available system margin – a fluid
variable over the life of the network?
Using configurable variable bit-rate coherent optics
combined with real-time link engineering tools, CSPs can
safely exploit excess margin to extract more value from
existing assets. Benefits include greater capacity without
requiring new hardware deployments, as well as enhanced
network survivability.
Maintaining performance
An agile and autonomous approach dramatically simplifies
how optical networks are designed, built, and operated. It
enables systems that can scale to meet today’s significant
bandwidth demands, while being open and programmable
to deliver the exact service performance required at any
point in time. It looks at the network and available margin,
and up-shifts coherent optical capacity that has already
been deployed where there is enough margin to do so. This
helps reduce the need for CSPs to ‘overbuild’ networks,
which will sit idle in anticipation of future or peak demand.
Through this approach, CSPs will be able to monitor and
mine all available network assets, instantly respond to new
bandwidth demands and allocate capacity across any path
in real-time. Application programming interfaces (APIs)
and standard interfaces support CSPs’ requirements for an
accessible, open architecture.
Automation is a key element of our increasingly-
interconnect world, whether we talk about driverless cars or
intelligent networks. What may sound like science fiction
will eventually become a reality, and it’s time for CSPs to
get their networks ready for the changing demands of the
future. n
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