Drivenets on Monday announced the completion of testing and certification of multiple Ciena 400G coherent pluggable transceivers integrated in the DriveNets Network Cloud platform. These successful tests demonstrate how the integrated DriveNets/Ciena solution can optimize service provider networks and build more efficient converged infrastructures. The solution also includes enhanced network configuration and management software capabilities and ensures the Ciena WaveLogic 5 Nano (WL5n) pluggables can be tuned, configured, and managed by DriveNets Network Cloud software.
DriveNets hardware and software with Ciena pluggables will be on display at the upcoming OFC conference, March 26-28 in San Diego, CA. as part of the University of Texas in Dallas (UTC) – OpenLab OFCnet demonstration.
Last year, DriveNets announced that Network Cloud was the first Disaggregated Distributed Chassis/Backbone Router (DDC/DDBR) to support ZR/ZR+ optics as native transceivers for Network Cloud-supported white boxes. Today’s announcement demonstrates that two market leaders and innovators are working together to offer a fully tested and validated solution that advances and expands the adoption of open, disaggregated networking solutions.
The integrated solution delivers significant cost savings by collapsing Layer-1 to Layer-3 communications into a single platform. The use of ZR/ZR+ also eliminates the need for standalone optical transponders, lowering the number of boxes in the solution and reducing operational overhead, floorspace, and power requirements.
This collaboration ensures that the DriveNets NOS (DNOS) supports the WL5n coherent pluggable transceivers beyond simply plugging them into the box. It will support multiple modes of operation, including 400ZR, ZR+, as well as higher performance modes to extend 400G connectivity across more links in the network. The combined solution was tested across a Ciena open line system, representing a real networking environment.
This integration goes beyond interoperability validation. DriveNets Network Cloud will offer software support for Ciena’s optical solution, including configuration (channel and power), monitoring and troubleshooting for Ciena transceivers. Future planned enhancements involve standards-based integration with Ciena’s end-to-end intelligent network control system – the Ciena Navigator Network Control Suite (NCS) – for better visibility and optimization of the optical infrastructure.
Dudy Cohen, Vice President of Product Marketing at DriveNets
Today’s announcement is another step in the growing adoption of disaggregated networking solutions, supporting operators’ desire to lower their operational costs by simplifying the network architecture and building networks like cloud. Operators are looking for open solutions that allow them to mix and match elements from multiple vendors as well as reduce the number of networks they need to support. The converged IP/Optical solution enabled by this announcement delivers on both goals.
Joe Shapiro, Vice President, Product Line Management, Ciena
As a leading provider of both optical networks and coherent optical modules, Ciena continues to innovate and give our customers greater choice in how they create open and robust networks, without compromise. The combined solution – a converged IP/Optical white box – can achieve longer unregenerated reaches while also being simple to manage, resulting in improved cost and operational efficiencies.
