re: A Tale of Two Optical Initiatives: OIF and ODSI
Thanks, James. I should have dug a little bit deeper, but I surrendered to the pressures of the clock last night.
ODSI, in this case, is reminiscent of an earlier initiative. You might recall the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) in which CIEN, LU and CSCO played big roles. oiforum.com
In ODSI, the big three (CSCO, LU and NT) have not yet joined, oddly enough. One would have to wonder how effective any such initiative could be without the participation of these players if they continue to decline membership.
Taking it a step further, though, if ODSI is effective in developing a framework, then does this mean that peering and trunking decisions of the top tier ISPs and NSPs in the future will be influenced by whose routers and switches are used, as well as upstream and downstream trunking agreements?
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Does anyone know how effective OIF was over time, and what it might have yielded? Their (the OIF's) last published press release is dated a year and a month ago. See the url to that release, and its reprint, below:
oiforum.com
Regards, Frank Coluccio
----- From the above OIF Press Release data 12/98:
Contact:
Kirsten Machi
Optical Internetworking Forum
510-608-5903
kmachi@oiforum.com
The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) Begins Technical Development of the Transport Network for IP Services and Applications
A focus on data transport requirements, rather than traditional
circuit-based networks, will optimize the transport network for
packet-based voice, video and data services.
Fremont, California December 14, 1998 - The Optical Internetworking Forum
(OIF) today announced the completion of major organizational milestones and
the initial areas of opportunity to be explored by its technical committee.
Created in April 1998, the OIF focuses on promoting the deployment of optical
internetworking technologies. Optical internetworking combines
high-performance switching and routing with the latest developments in optical
transmission to enable very high-capacity networks that are optimized for
packet-based communications.
By replacing the Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology currently used in
transport networks with packet-based and cell-based statistical multiplexing,
optical internetworks will enable service providers and large enterprises to
deploy backbone networks which are optimized for packet-based voice, video
and data services rather than circuit-oriented voice.
"The OIF provides a unique venue in which experts from the data and optical
transmission sides of the networking industry can exchange ideas and set
directions," said Andrew Greenfield, OIF President. "By focusing specifically on
the requirements for data transport rather than traditional circuit-based
networks, we hope to rapidly advance the transport network and keep up with
the explosive traffic growth being fueled by IP-based services and
applications."
The three areas that are expected to become the basis for the formation of
working groups within the OIF technical committee are: architecture, physical
layer and OAM&P. The OIF membership has also completed the development
and ratification of its bylaws, intellectual property policies, antitrust guidelines,
technical committee procedures, etc. Since its founding, over 95 companies
representing the leaders of the telecommunications industry have joined the
OIF. Member organizations include service providers, data and optical
equipment vendors, semiconductor and optical component suppliers and
others.
During the board of directors elections held last October, the following
individuals were elected by the OIF membership to serve two year terms:
Carol Sensale, Bellcore; Jim McManus, UUNet; and Bill Szeto, Sprint. The
following individuals were elected to serve one year terms: Andrew Greenfield,
Cisco; Steve Chaddick, Ciena; George Gawrys, AT&T; and Ron Haigh, Qwest.
Andrew Greenfield will serve as president and chairman; Carol Sensale will
serve as vice president; and Ron Haigh will serve as secretary and treasurer.
Additionally, the board of directors has appointed a technical committee chair
and vice chair, Joe Berthold, Ciena and Drew Perkins, Lightera Networks,
respectively. In this new role, they will oversee and drive the development of
OIF technical work. These officers will serve until elections are held in 1999.
The next OIF meeting will be held on January 25-26, 1999 in Orlando, Florida.
Further information on the OIF membership and activities are available at
www.oiforum.com
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© 1999 Optical Internetworking Forum
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