At OFC 2023, Stephan Neidlinger discussed managing disaggregated transport systems, exploring the challenges of managing and controlling disaggregated optical transport, and sharing insights into real-life use cases.

1. Real-life demands and examples of
management and control in
disaggregated optical transport
March 8, 2023, Stephan Neidlinger
OFC 2023 Open Networking Summit

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Aggregated vs disaggregated
Mgmt.
and
control
Optical
line
system
Optical
terminal
+ Guaranteed and optimized performance
+ No reaggregation required
- Vendor and/or technology lock-in
- No/less flexibility/scaling/standardized processes
Aggregated
+ Facilitates the adoption of new technology/vendors
+ Increases network flexibility/agility/scalability
- Reaggregation needed (link planning, system
integration, e2e network operations, …)
Disaggregated
Aggregation vs disaggregation depends on use case
Mgmt.
and
control
Optical
line
system
Optical
terminal

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STATUS QUO 1: MULTI-VENDOR DATA-PLANE INTEGRATION
Numerous lab/field trials, many commercial deployments

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STATUS QUO 2: MULTI-VENDOR NMS/SDN INTEGRATION
Numerous demos, some commercial deployments

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REAGGREGATION
Target management and control architecture
Optical domain controller
OLS vendor D
Transponder
vendor B
Open network API
Orchestrator / multi-domain controller
Open
device
API
Open
device
API
Transponder
vendor A
400G ZR/ZR+
vendor C
Open
device
API
• Open commercial model enabling
network planning and cost-efficient
transport of third-party wavelengths
• Open and partially disaggregated
hardware (terminals + OLS)
• Hardware accessible and configurable
through open, standards-based APIs
Open optical system Unified SDN control and management

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REAGGREGATION
TIP OOPT MUST evaluation and badge program
R O A D M A m p lifie r
O -O L S
M U S T S B I (O p e n C o n fig )
P ro p rie ta ry
A P Is
M U S T N B I (T -A P I)
O p tic a l/O -O L S
S D N -C
Solution I: Single domain
partially disaggregated
network single O-
OLS/Optical SDN
Controller
• Open Optical Terminal Silver badge
• Optical/O-OLS SDN Controller NBI
Silver Badge
• Optical/O-OLS SDN Controller SBI Silver
Badge
Solution II: : Single
domain partially
disaggregated
network dual O-OLS +
Optical SDN Controller
solution
• Open Optical Terminal Silver badge
• O-OLS SDN Controller NBI Silver Badge
• Optical SDN Controller NBI Silver Badge
• Optical SDN Controller SBI Silver Badge
Open Optical
Terminals (O-OT)
Optical / O-OLS SDN
Controllers
Phase I – Product evaluation Phase II – Solution evaluation
O-OLS SDN Domain
Controller Vendor 1
O-OLS SDN Domain
Controller Vendor 2
Optical SDN Controller
Vendor 3
V e n d o r A
V e n d o r B
V e n d o r C
MUST SBI (OpenConfig)
MUST NBI (T-API)
O-OLS SDN-C
Optical SDN Controller
O-OT O-OT
ROADM Amplifier
O-OLS
MUST NBI (T-API)

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OLS vendor to integrate 3rd party Open Terminals
Real-life management and control requirements
REAGGREGATION
OLS NMS
OLS vendor D
Transponder
vendor B
NBI
OSS/BSS
Open
device
API
Transponder
vendor A
400G ZR/ZR+
vendor C
Transponder
vendor A
Transponder
vendor B
400G ZR/ZR+
vendor C

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• Open, vendor-neutral, standardized data models and application programming interfaces
(APIs) are essential for multi-vendor SDN interoperability
• OpenConfig API for terminals and ONF transport API (T-API) for optical line system control
are the most widely accepted API specifications now
Programmable infrastructure through vendor-neutral, standardized APIs
Need for standard-based models and API
• The ONF T-API enables the control of transport networks and the dynamic
allocation of resources using SDN technology. This includes services such
as topology exposure or connectivity provisioning.
• The OpenConfig API enables the control of open optical terminals using SDN
technology. This includes configuration and monitoring of client and line
interfaces.

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Friendly ecosystems to enable open networking
Close and trustful cooperation of network operators and vendors (open terminals,
OLS, controllers, SI, …)
Industry groups to guarantee multi-vendor interoperability (OIF, TIP, …)
Fair and sustainable commercial conditions for all involved parties
Openness on three pillars
OPENNESS, DISAGGREGATION, AND REAGGREGATION IN OPTICAL COMMUNICATION