LINX Manchester switches to disaggregated networking via IP Infusion and Edgecore Networks

May 18, 2021
The Manchester site is the second hub at which the London Internet Exchange has implemented such an approach with the help of IP Infusion and Edgecore Networks.

IP Infusion, which supplies open network operating systems, and Edgecore Networks, which provides traditional and open network hardware, say they have collaborated to enable the London Internet Exchange (LINX) Manchester interconnection point to migrate to an open, disaggregated network. The Manchester site is the second hub at which LINX has implemented such an approach with the help of IP Infusion and Edgecore Networks.

LINX Manchester handles more than 120 connected networks, with traffic regularly exceeding 100 Gbps, according to the technology suppliers. The facility hit a record maximum traffic peak of 187.14 Gbps on April 22. The site is one of the busier hubs in the LINX network, which overall connects more than 980 networks in over 80 countries.

The LINX Manchester migration mirrored a similar project undertaken at LINX’s secondary London interconnect platform (LON2) in 2018. In both instances, LINX deployed open network switches from Edgecore Networks and the OcNOS network operating software from IP Infusion. The move will reduce total cost of ownership as well as enable LINX to implement network redundancy to the exchange, an upgrade over the previous approach which created a single point of failure.

“The disaggregated networking solution from Edgecore and IP Infusion is more cost-effective and allows us to deliver more long-term technical improvements and capabilities faster,” commented Mark Lloyd, principal network engineer at LINX.

“The migration of the Manchester deployment gives another validation of disaggregated networking for mission-critical applications and serves as an excellent example for other service providers looking to upgrade their existing networks by adopting disaggregated networking solutions,” added Atsushi Ogata, president and CEO of IP Infusion.

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.

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