MRV Communications has introduced new levels of visibility and intelligence to its optical channel manager (OCM) module, providing intelligent wavelength monitoring for the OptiDriver optical transport platform.
The module’s new management capabilities enable service providers and data centres to continuously monitor all wavelengths on any WDM network and proactively identify operational issues before they arise. With the OCM module, accurate real-time reporting of wavelength performance is simple and straightforward. The OCM’s intelligence enables network managers to speed up response times and simplify existing and new service management.
WDM network performance monitoring requires continuous statistical reporting and review for each wavelength to ensure transmissions are within a well-defined spectral range and optical parameters. To address these requirements, the OCM module supports real-time monitoring of up to 640 wavelengths, with documentation of performance over time and identification of changing conditions, including optical power levels, SLA compliance, alarm thresholds and capacity plans.
Traditionally, wavelength monitoring equipment is often used as standalone, portable infrastructure installed throughout the network, and requires reconfiguration with each instalment. The deployment and ongoing management of this dispersed, standalone equipment is cumbersome and labour intensive. The integrated OCM solution enables centralised monitoring thereby greatly reducing the need for traditional standalone infrastructure as well as the associated man hours and truck rolls needed to maintain that infrastructure, according to MRV.
“The OCM solution is a critical diagnostic tool, invaluable to network operations personnel who embed it into their network,” said Eli Laufer, vice president, global research and development, MRV Communications. “It will ultimately lead to improved network reliability and reduced service interruption. It provides operators with an early warning by instantly identifying any degree of signal degradation, well before any of their customers are affected. The OCM is an important addition to MRV’s optical transport solution portfolio, delivering low power, compact solutions that enable customers to achieve advanced and innovative ways of managing their optical transport networks.”
The MRV OCM is a module of the company’s OptiDriver optical transport platform, and MRV’s Pro-Vision service orchestration platform provides the continuous observation and display of wavelength performance.