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DWDM - update 11/9/07

S

skypilot

Golden Member
Update 11/9/07

After doing a bit more research, it looks like we're going to try to get a demo... The router-style CLI and tight integration are pretty attractive. I just have to make sure the damn thing works!

Will report back once I've gone over to play w/ the gear...

----------------------------

Sorry in advance for the long story, but I'm trying to get as much input on this as possible... I have feelers out with all of my industry contacts but I figure AT can't hurt 😉

I'm doing some consulting for a large medical research facility, and they're looking to upgrade their link to the local datacenter/POP. Currently, they purchase a few Gigabit Ethernet and metro Fibre Channel services straight to this datacenter from one of the usual suspects (XO, Abvt, L3, etc...).

Now, with a couple of new major applications that require a ton of IP bandwidth and storage networking, I've been asked to evaluate methods for getting the following to this DC, with room for growth:
  • 3x 10 Gig Ethernet
  • 4x 2 Gig Fibre Channel

Given how much that service would all cost MONTHLY from the aforementioned companies (likely $50-100k or more), I've been doing some research on lighting dark fiber with DWDM equipment. In my area (Seattle), getting the DF in major areas is a peice of cake. On the other hand, I don't want to hire optical engineers to deal with Nortel or Ciena gear... A local company called XKL has had a bunch of stuff in the news lately (Network World, WSJ, blah, blah) about making a DWDM box for the enterprise peeps (router/switch nerds, as the sales guy told me on the phone 😀).

Anyone heard of them? CEO started Cisco but that was what, 20 years ago? They say that UW will be using their gear in the next month, and that they are talking to big "household names" about deployment next year.

I'm going to drop by their offices and check out the gear in the next month or so, I think...

 
skypilot, if you're pulling in that kind of bandwidth, make sure you have really really good path redundancy and guarantees about it with teeth. That's a lot of links for a backhoe to seek out.

I have not heard of XKL. There is a small set of people with the appropriate set of clues to build a good WDM box, and I see no evidence that XKL has any of those people on staff. I also see no tier-1 VCs... or any for that matter. The only claim is some guy I haven't heard of who supposedly co-founded Cisco... but even if that's true, he wasn't one of the important people who anyone remembers. This all does not add up to me being willing to bet on these guys.

I am not often one to preach the ultra-conservative route to vendors, but in this case, there's enough $$ and value at stake... don't take a risk. If you want to light your own, do it with safe gear. Ciena for example.
 
Cisco's DWDM box (ONS15454) I a little less expensive than the Nortel (last time I checked ... a few years ago), a bit easier to configure and manage, and has a company with support and some money behind it.

Critical bandwidth is not something to bet the company on.

eBay is full of awsome, excellent equipment that was produced by defunct companies with not-so-awesome leadership or funky business plans. I'll betcha this company would not like having to count on eBay for spare parts if this company folds.

Cisco (as an example only) is frequently not the best equipment from a performance or features standpoint, but they have a great support organization that can literally work with you around the clock ("follow the sun") without hanging up the phone once, if that's what is required to fix the issue. You can also expect that Cisco will likely be around for a while.

Save the new / upstart companies and equipment for back channel and lower priority links ... at least as a pilot. Once you see they have legs and their support organization is at least "good enough," then start working them into the "mainstream" portion of your networks.

DWDM becomes a "criticallity amplifier" for your optical links; Now instead of losing one gig worth of bandwidth when BozoBob snags the fiber practicing his golf swing, you'll be losing N x one gig (or higher, bandwidth per channel) ... in Cisco's case, that could be 32 gig+ (or 64 gig+ using their proprietary bandplan / spacing), Nortel is a (IIRC) sixteen inputs per shelf of gig+ (either can go to at least 10Gig per channel at this point, I believe).


It's kind of like getting married: mistakes will cost you ~half your stuff ... marry the pretty young flake, or the somewhat plain-looking millionaire heiress ... decisions decisions.

Good Luck
Scott
 
ScottMac, I avoid the ONS like the plague. Seen way too many problems that were the ONS, over and over again.
 
If you read lightreading.com there is some buzz around XKL. I would get them to give you contact info for customers and a demo if you are seriously interested.
 
After doing a bit more research, it looks like we're going to try to get a demo... The router-style CLI and tight integration are pretty attractive. I just have to make sure the damn thing works!

Will report back once I've gone over to play w/ the gear...
 
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