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From Lightwave Online:
Lightwave on September 12, 1999
SilkRoad SRSC technology clears 47-km hurdle
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By Susan Fogarty, On-line Editor
SilkRoad Inc. (San Diego, CA) achieved successful results of a field test of its bidirectional, single-wavelength SilkRoad Refractive Synchronization Communication (SRSC) technology last week, further demonstrating its viability over wide area networks.
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Using SilkRoad's Emissary optical transceivers as the end-to-end transport interfaces between two high-performance SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.) Origin 2000 servers, a point-to-point connection was established between San Diego State University (SDSU) and Chula Vista, CA, a distance of 47 km. The test was run on a private in-the-ground fiber network.
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Two 400-Mbyte data files were simultaneously transferred bidirectionally over a single wavelength on a single fiber in 11.4 seconds, with SRSC network capacity at 71 Mbytes/sec. Industry-standard wide area network connections at T-1 or Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) speeds would have taken over 66 minutes to transmit both files, says SilkRoad.
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Multiple tests planned
According to Tom Myers, director of product planning and development at SilkRoad, this test is the second in a series planned to confirm the technology's success in numerous applications and over different distances. The first test, conducted over the campus enterprise network at SDSU last month, transferred 411 Mbytes of 3-dimensional geological visualization data in 8.21 seconds, with 0% packet loss. Silkroad estimates that the transmission would have taken an hour over a standard T-1 or ADSL connection.
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Mike Emerson, director of marketing communications, notes, "Along with the benefits of high bandwidth, SRSC is also able to send a mix of voice, video and data on a single wavelength." The ability to process combinations of optical, digital, and video signals simultaneously makes the technology appropriate for mission-critical file transfers, as well as for more traditional business and residential data communications.
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Photons go both ways
"The latest test is just another step in proving the technology," acknowledges Myers. "The real news is the bidirectionality. Since photons have no mass, they are actually able to pass through each other, moving at opposite directions over a single wavelength. That means greater network efficiency and cost savings over current technologies like DWDM [dense wavelength-division multiplexing]."
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The laser beam used by SilkRoad's technology is similar to that used in DWDM, but does not require the tuned cavity on the laser. Instead, the system collects the channels before they are introduced on the modulator. Customers can then input many OC-3 through OC-48 signals using only one wavelength of light, either 1310 nm or 1550 nm. By stacking a set of data channels in the optical space, the technology is modulated onto the optical beam via an external optical modulator.
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First introduced in November, 1998, SRSC received the SUPERQuest Award for the "Most Promising New Technology," in optical networking at SUPERCOMM '99. SilkRoad expects equipment for the enterprise network to be available commercially in the first quarter of 2000.
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