Look for this type of technology to start filling up the commercial metro last mile, and beyond.
newspage.com
New Finisar Opticity 3000 Digital WDM Multiplexer for
Extended Fibre Channel SANs and Gigabit Ethernet
LANs
August 31, 1999
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) via
NewsEdge Corporation -- StorageNetworks, Inc.(TM)
is testing Opticity 3000 as a component of its
nationwide, Fibre-Channel network of data storage
facilities
Opticity(TM) 3000, a new modular fiber optic
networking and traffic aggregation system, supports
Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet applications
while significantly reducing the cost of adding
additional channels.
Announced today by Finisar Corporation, Opticity
3000 uses WDM (wave-division multiplexing) to
greatly increase the capacity of fiber optic cables
used in campus or metropolitan gigabit applications.
Designed for both enterprises and service providers
(including carriers, ISPs, web hosts, application
hosts, and storage service providers), Opticity 3000
provides multi-gigabit per second per fiber
performance at pricing far below existing
multi-channel data networking alternatives.
"Traditional T1/E1, DS3 leased lines, Frame Relay
and ATM connections are bandwidth-limited and
expensive for applications such as business
continuance, IP telephony, multimedia web sites,
distance learning and video streaming. With our
WDM equipment, providers of fiber optic networks
can offer differentiated services at compelling
economics," stated Patrick Wong, Finisar's director
of marketing and sales.
The initial version supports eight full-duplex gigabit
channels on a fiber ring, with a planned capacity
increase to 32 channels in the first half of next year,
and 128 channels by the second half.
Opticity 3000's unique architecture provides users
with a variety of advanced capabilities. "Other WDM
products provide for multiple channels through
separate wavelengths in the optical domain. Opticity
3000 uses both optical and digital multiplexing to
allow multiple channels per wavelength, the most
cost-effective solution. Beyond traffic aggregation
and networking, Opticity 3000 is a platform that can
support a rich set of protocol-specific advanced
capabilities such as network monitoring, digital
retiming, link integrity monitoring and distance
buffering," added Mr. Wong.
Opticity 3000 is offered in a rack mount chassis that
supports plug-in modules to allow compatibility with
different protocols. The Fibre Channel link module,
commonly used for building synchronous (real-time)
remote disk mirroring storage area networks (SANs),
is available now. The Gigabit Ethernet link module is
scheduled for availability in six months. Opticity
3000 supports a mix of Fibre Channel and Gigabit
Ethernet link modules in a single chassis. Users
can increase channel capacity on a fiber optic
network by simply plugging in additional
hot-swappable link modules into the chassis without
downtime.
Opticity 3000 is currently being tested by
StorageNetworks, Inc., the leading storage services
provider (SSP). StorageNetworks, Inc. is building a
nationwide Global Data Storage Network(TM)
(GDSN) to provide enterprise storage services over
broadband fiber rings. StorageNetworks is currently
testing Opticity 3000 for use in a series of storage
point-of-presence (StoragePOP(TM)) data storage
facilities built in every key metropolitan area
throughout the United States. These StoragePOPs
provide information-intensive companies and
organizations with secure access to virtually
unlimited data storage capacity and enterprise
storage services, as if it were a utility.
StorageNetworks lets customers free up previously
constrained resources while maintaining advanced
storage capabilities, simply by plugging their server
into a port in the wall.
"It's our goal at StorageNetworks to apply the most
advanced and proven next-generation network and
storage technologies throughout our StoragePOPs, "
said Mark Kincaid, vice president technology and
operations for StorageNetworks. "We've been using
Finisar's FLX-2000 Fibre Channel link extenders for
our point-to-point customer applications and we're
currently evaluating Opticity 3000 as a means of
maximizing capacity on our fiber optic cable and
building ring networks between multiple customer
sites and our StoragePOPs. We evaluated several
WDM products and chose Opticity 3000 because of
its advanced Fibre Channel capabilities such as
thoughput statistics, continuous link integrity
monitoring and distance buffering."
Opticity 3000 is a fully redundant system that can
be configured in a point-to-point configuration with
segments up to 40 km, or a ring with a total length
of 120 km. Extensive network management
capabilities are supported including telnet, SNMP
and web. A fully configured Opticity 3000 system
costs $15,000 per channel.
Product datasheets are available at
www.finisar.com. For more details on pricing and
availability, contact Patrick Wong, Finisar
Corporation, 1308 Moffett Park Drive, Sunnyvale, CA
94089. Phone 650-691-4000 x136, e-mail
pwong@finisar.com or fax 650-691-4010. For more
information on StorageNetworks, Inc., please visit
their web site www.storagenetworks.com.
About StorageNetworks, Inc.
StorageNetworks, Inc. is the leading provider of
Enterprise Storage Services. StorageNetworks
provides Professional Services and Data Storage
Infrastructure Services to organizations with large
and rapidly growing volumes of business critical
information. The company's storage network
infrastructure enables efficient and reliable remote
data storage capacity, storage management,
disaster protection, business continuity, and
workflow management. StorageNetworks is
headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and
operates in major business and government centers
nationwide. For further information, please visit the
company's web site at www.storagenetworks.com,
email info@storagenetworks.com, or call
1-800-463-7105.
About Finisar Corporation
Founded in 1988, Finisar Corporation develops and
manufactures gigabit-rate fiber optic systems and
components, network analyzers, and test equipment
for high-speed serial data communications. Finisar's
fiber optic systems include optical multiplexers and
link extenders for Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre
Channel networks, GBIC transceivers, protocol
analyzers, and data generators.
Note to Editors: StorageNetworks, storage
point-of-presence, S-POP, SPOP, and StoragePOP
are trademarks of StorageNetworks. Inc. All other
brand and product names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.
<<Business Wire, 08-30-99, 15:08 Eastern>>
CONTACT: Bonfield Associates | Sam Young,
415/377-5811 | syoung@bonfield.com | or |
StorageNetworks, Inc. | Nicole Gorman,
781/434-6716 |
nicole.gorman@storagenetworks.com |
