Top 10 Things that Favor Packet-Driven Networks

Several technologies, such as Ethernet and WDM, can be utilized in a packet-driven network (PDN). PDNs are a common approach to aggregation and transport of wireless backhaul, business services and in some cases, residential services.

Like any product, the secret sauce for a PDN is the feature set. Let’s take a look at the packet-driven top ten most valuable features.

1. Ubiquity – Ethernet is everywhere. Every computer has an Ethernet port and you can buy Ethernet switches at Fry’s.
2. Economy – Since all computers and routers have Ethernet ports, the cost is driven by consumer price erosion curves. Carrier-grade Ethernet equipment’s economy benefits from the components that are becoming commoditized.
3. Interoperation – Ethernet is standardized and the service provider typically doesn’t need to worry about an Ethernet port from one device/manufacturer working with another manufacturer’s product.
4. Services (E-Line and E-LAN) – Ethernet services are standardized via MEF, so E-Line and E-LAN services provide necessary features and interoperate regardless of vendor.
5. Classes of service – Different types of traffic, such as voice, video, email and texts, have different requirements—but Ethernet offers multiple classes of service to appropriately manage different kinds of traffic.
6. Variable service sizes –Different services need different amounts of bandwidth. Ethernet offers tremendous variability in service size to accommodate these variations.
7. Protection – Ethernet offers two different sub-50 ms switching techniques so that, in case of failure, the service keeps going.
8. Port bonding – There are situations where one port is not enough; bonding two ports together overcomes this limitation. Ethernet supports LAG (Link aggregation), which allows multiple ports to be bonded.
9. Per-service PM – Ethernet provides ways to monitor the performance of a specific service.
10. DWDM ports – Finally, the economics of the solution can be improved by incorporating DWDM into the Ethernet ports, so that an aggregated link can go directly over a DWDM system without the transponder. Some Ethernet switches incorporate the transponder into the Ethernet port.

The Fujitsu 1FINITY S100 Switch is a 1RU Ethernet switch that features modular I/O PIUs and supports up to 1.2 Tbps of switching capacity.  It offers the “right” feature set for packet-driven networking, including E-Line and E-LAN services with G.8031 and G.8032 sub-50 ms switching and Y.1731 per service performance metrics. With the S100 blade you can easily apply the value of the Ethernet “top ten things” to many applications, such as wireless backhaul, business services, and Ethernet aggregation in many different topologies.