Perhaps the most onerous issue facing Ethernet network operators is that of upgrading to higher-bandwidth services.
Typically, a network interface device (NID) is deployed at a new customer site in the form of a ring that is shared among several customers. At this point, there is a decision to be made: should the NID be put in a 1 GbE ring or a 10 GbE ring?
Usually, traffic at the time of deployment warrants only a 1 GbE ring, but based on historical market trends, the aggregate bandwidth requirements of this ring will almost certainly increase to warrant a 10 GbE ring in the future. Thus, in this type of deployment, you have to decide up-front whether to invest in a 10 GbE ring initially without knowing when additional bandwidth will be needed. Alternatively, might it be more appropriate to go with a 1 GbE ring now and change to a 10 GbE ring later? Changing to a 10 GbE ring typically requires changing the NID, an expensive and troublesome activity, but this choice at least has the advantage of deferring the cost until the bandwidth is needed.
Now there’s a new approach to solving this dilemma. Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) transceivers are widely adopted, small footprint, hot-pluggable modules available in a variety of capacity and reach options, including 1 GbE. Now, enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) modules advance the original SFP technology, offering an elegant solution to the bandwidth growth issue: 10 GbE performance is available in SFP+ devices that are physically compatible with SFP cages. In essence you get all the convenience of SFPs, but with ten times the bandwidth.
This new capability, available in in the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE® 5300 family of carrier Ethernet devices provides an exciting and economical solution to common bandwidth growth problems. A NID can be deployed with 1 GbE client ports and 1 GbE network ports using SFPs. Then, when traffic approaches full capacity, 10 GbE SFP+ transceivers can be substituted for the original set. The onerous issue of aggregate bandwidth growth suddenly becomes…not so onerous. Simple changes of optical modules let you cost-effectively target growth exactly where it is needed—without the burden and waste of whole-chassis replacements.
This same mechanism can also accommodate client port growth from 1 to 10 GbE. This solution allows the initial installation to be sized with a more appropriate, lower cost product—1 GbE client and network SFPs—and then grow to 10 GbE when needed. The additional cost is incurred as and when needed.