An Internet Exchange is a meeting point for independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) enabling them to exchange Internet traffic with each other, nationally and internationally. This exchange of traffic is known as “peering.” Since without peering, the Internet is nothing, network reliability at Internet Exchanges is of extreme importance. In addition, rapid growth of the Internet has resulted in Internet Exchanges seeing traffic double every year. This places a severe strain on both network architecture and planning.
Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switching solutions greatly improve network reliability and provide the flexibility to handle high growth.
Create
Glimmerglass switches provide a full non-blocking, transparent crossconnect. In milliseconds a lightpath can be created between any fiber input and output. New customers can be brought on-line with a few clicks of a mouse using the Glimmerglass ClickFlow GUI interface or with a few TL1 commands. Since the lightpaths are fully transparent, the newly created lightpath will transport any data format or speed.
Monitor
Continuous input and output power monitoring, combined with transparent switching provides the Internet Exchange operator with a superior tool for monitoring the health of the network and rapid fault isolation. In the event that the optical power monitoring detects a fault, automatic switching can quickly restore service. If the fault is more serious, loopback paths may be created in milliseconds to help isolate the fault to a particular piece of equipment.
Protect
With the ability to rapidly transfer massive data streams from one set of lightpaths to another, Glimmerglass switches are the ideal solution for protecting not only individual fibers, but also Layer 2 equipment in the Exchange. In the event of a fiber or equipment failure, all of the effected traffic can be automatically redirected to backup equipment, significantly improving Exchange availability
High Density, Low Profile
Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switches have the highest fiber density in the industry. Up to 190 fibers (95 x 95) are supported in just two rack units (3.5”) and up to 380 fibers (190 x 190) in 4 rack units. Weighing only 20 to 38 pounds, power consumption ranges from 35 to 80 watts and requires no special cooling.
Future Proof
Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switches are fully transparent crossconnects. Once installed, the Exchange is ready for any future data rate or format. No changes are required to migrate from GE to 10GE to 100GE or even 40G SONET/SDH. Upgrade the endpoints, not the switching fabric. In addition, as non-blocking crossconnects, Glimmerglass solutions facilitate the introduction of new Layer 2 equipment and future migrations to new architectures. Go here to see how the Amsterdam Internet Exchange used Glimmerglass to help migrate from rings to a redundant star network.
Learn More
Contact us today for more information and to arrange a free evaluation. Contact us now.
