Testing the Integration of IP and the Optical Layers
The one-time fantasy of routing light is slowly turning
into reality. The race is well and truly on to develop
and deploy the optical devices that will deliver tomorrow's
"intelligent optical core".
While industry bodies like the IETF (Internet Engineering
Task Force) and OIF (Optical Interworking Forum) are
busy developing standards to ensure a cohesive evolution,
vendors wanting to maintain a competitive advantage
are already developing products that span the gap between
the IP and optical layers. But with the standards still
evolving, how can anyone be sure that their devices
will interoperate, let alone deliver on performance
expectations? At this early stage of development, functional
and conformance testing provides vendors with confidence
that they are on the right track.
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