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To: kumar who wrote (25245)	5/24/2000 12:05:00 AM
From: John Stichnoth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

Agilent's technology was also the subject of the most recent Gilder letter. We're still a ways from a commercial product: Commerical prototypes* of the Agilent Photonic Switching Platform will be available by the end of 2000.* [from your link] Best, JS

To: kumar who wrote (25245)	5/24/2000 1:10:00 AM
From: BDR	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 54805

<<you must convert to electronics Didnt Agilent come out with a optical switch that overcomes this hurdle ?>> Optical Switching: The Next Generation lightreading.com

To: kumar who wrote (25245)	5/24/2000 1:19:00 AM
From: D. Newberry	Respond to of 54805

Hi Kumar, I looked into Agilent's product. I also was given (by a friendly SIer) an original copy of the Gilder report on Agilent (so I could legally review it). My impression of this product (and the product isn't commercially available yet so draw your own conclusions)is that this is a digital cross connect system. These systems can redirect individual streams of light from one fiber system to the other. However, like all cross connect systems they cannot redirect individual packets within that stream of light. Each stream (in the internet backbone) is made up of thousands packets of data, each with a specific source destination. At some point you must go to electronics in order to read that address and ship accordingly. Lets' take the analogy of the highway. The post office truck (that carries thousand of letters) can travel down the interstate (remember, he can't change lanes) and if the highway is designed correctly, that lane will get him to the local post office (no electronics or routers needed here because we didn't change lanes). Once the truck gets to the local post office, however, all of the letters in that trunk must be inspected, the destination address read, and the letter placed in the local postal carriers truck so he can take it to the local homeowner. At some point somebody has got to look at that specific address (electronics). Cross connects (interstate clover leafs) can't do that. Don't get me wrong. Photonic cross connect systems are a very big deal, and they will be widely deployed. However, they will not negate the need for routers. It just isn't that simple. Regards, DN