Carrier Ethernet is a very successful solution for providing services in a metropolitan area. This technology provides a variety of capabilities including multiple classes of service; fast restoration; standardized services such as E-Line and E-LAN; and bandwidth guarantees. As demand grows in a metro Ethernet network it becomes necessary to accommodate capacity beyond 10G access rings. DWDM is an economical technology for scaling networks beyond 10G. But an effective solution, ideally a unified network incorporating these two technologies, requires that all the components play well together.
The most common approach is deploying a DWDM overlay on top of the Carrier Ethernet network. This architecture is a solid choice, but carries the disadvantage of requiring two separate network management systems that don’t talk to each other. This imposes a high cost in terms of operational and administrative overhead, which increases operations cost and complexity.
The Fujitsu NETSMART® 1200 Management System offers an attractive alternative. In combination with FLASHWAVE 5300 and FLASHWAVE 7120 platforms, NETSMART 1200 can integrate DWDM capabilities into the existing Carrier Ethernet network—eliminating the problem of dual management systems, while providing service management, end-to-end provisioning, and open interfaces. Each core network element has both core Ethernet switching and DWDM modules—an elegant, comprehensive, and unified solution.