Networking: Achieving Simplicity in the Data Center

Mannix O’Connor serves as director of technical marketing for MRV Communications’ Optical Communications Systems Division, and is an established member of the telecommunications community, serving as a founding member of the IEEE 802.17 Working Group and co-chair of the Access Group for the MEF.

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In today’s world, all subscribers--whether on the business or residential network--want faster, better, more powerful access to advanced services in the office, at home or on the road.

High-bandwidth, Quality-of-Service (QoS) enabled, fully managed optical networks are required for subscribers to reach data centers and popular new cloud applications. And, as mobility continues to rule the networking world, IT resources within data networks are becoming more disaggregated, distributing equipment and contents closer to the user to allow for quicker response times during remote access.

Together, the latest networking trends have created what could become a very complex network . . .and a data center IT nightmare. However, it doesn’t have to be so complicated! The answer is to simply “keep it simple.”

Seeking High-Bandwidth, Low-latency

When looking to achieve and maintain the high-bandwidth, low-latency, reliability and survivability required to support the increased use of streaming, Over-the-Top services and applications, the majority of data center and IT managers will list space, power and cooling as their top concerns.

The newest innovations in data center architecture allow operators to geographically distribute functions such as content, raw compute power, storage and interconnection locations closer to the user in order to optimize cost and response time. However, this approach significantly strains space and power resources, especially in the densely-populated metro.

When it comes to high-density transport in the data center, operators can maintain efficiency and high QoS for advanced services, without losing any functionality, by improving the flexibility of their networking tools. It’s time to start doing more with less.

In many networks, transport applications overlap and usually result in additional capital expenditure (CAPEX) investments. By incorporating multi-service optical platforms into the network, data centers can achieve optimum performance, increased efficiency and productivity without compromising quality or responsiveness, or increasing capital or operational expenses.

A multi-service transport platform can support multiple functions enabling chameleon-like application transformation and offer full support for industry protocols and data rates up to 10G and higher in a modular, managed and economical package.

Today’s technology allows providers to interconnect data centers with 30 channels of 10G in a mere 4RU or up to 80 channels of 10G in 11RU while using less than 0.7 Watts per Gbps of bandwidth. Furthermore, advanced power management features allow operators to reduce utility costs by turning off unused equipment to extend life span and reduce cooling costs.

By deploying more efficient, multi-service solutions, data centers can realize simplified operations and more efficient management of the network, and therefore better cost-effectively meet today’s need for high-density 10G Metro Optical Transport. So, when looking to improve density, power efficiency, ease-of-use, flexibility and inventory management, remember: keep it simple.

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