Years of Interoperability Work Form Basis of New OIF Routing Interface; Forum Will Apply Lessons Learned On Spec Targeted For Carrier Networks.

FREMONT, Calif. -- The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) will galvanize three years' worth of work into a new External Network-Network-Interface (E-NNI) Routing project approved at the group's January meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. The Forum's Architecture & Signaling Working Group will lead the project to define information to be shared by ASON network elements and allow paths to be calculated for a connection through multiple network domains of optical switching equipment. The new specification, titled E-NNI 1.0 Routing Implementation Agreement (IA), will be based on the provisional routing protocol used by the OIF in interoperability tests performed in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

"By formalizing its routing inter-domain interface, this Implementation Agreement will fill a critical gap for carriers as they look to complete specifications of their next generation transport networks," said Hans-Martin Foisel, of Deutsche Telekom, OIF Forum Carrier Working Group chair and board member. "This is exactly the kind of work product that accelerates the global realization of interoperable optical networks."

The OIF plans to submit the completed E-NNI Routing IA to the IETF and other standards development organizations such as ITU-T after its ratification by the Forum's members anticipated for later this year.

Industry Cooperation, Leadership Addition

The OIF announced that it has established a liaison relationship with the IPv6 Forum and joined the Mountain View Alliance bringing the Forum's total number of such industry contacts to 15.

"The OIF is the bridge for a number of organizations to unite work between them with an implementation focus," said Steve Joiner of Finisar and OIF vice president of marketing. "We open lines of communication between groups and our work is important enough for others to take notice."

David Stauffer of IBM Corporation has been elected as chairperson of the OIF's Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group. The PLL working group specifies implementation agreements related to physical and data-link layer interfaces between Optical Internetworking elements, reusing existing standards when applicable.

About the OIF

Launched in April of 1998, the OIF is a non-profit organization with a unique and diverse member base, including many of the world's leading carriers, component manufacturers and system vendors. As the only industry group uniting representatives from data and optical networks, the OIF helps advance the standards and methods of optical networks. The purpose of the OIF is to accelerate the deployment of interoperable, cost-effective and robust optical networks and their associated technologies. The OIF actively supports and extends the work of national and international standards bodies with the goal of promoting worldwide compatibility of optical internetworking products. Working relationships or formal liaisons have been established with the MFA Forum, IEEE 802.3, IETF, ITU-T Study Group 13, ITU-T Study Group 15, MEF, NPF, OPTXS, Rapid I/O, TMF MTNM group, TMOC, UXPi and the XFP MSA Group. More information on the OIF can be found at www.oiforum.com.