BTI unveils Optical Supervisory Channel module

27 June 2003 Ottawa, Canada Lightwave -- BTI Photonic Systems, developer of subsystem solutions for optical networks, this week introduced its Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC) module, an optional out-of-band management channel to monitor and manage systems at remote, unstaffed sites without Internet Protocol (IP) access. The OSC allows control and management traffic to be carried without a separate data network (X.25, frame-relay, Ethernet) overlay to each BTI Optical Link System.

BTI also unveiled a new name for both the company and its product line. Signaling a new corporate focus on the design and development of optical link management systems, the formal company name is now BTI Photonic Systems. BTI's link extension subsystem, the Optical Link System (OLS), has been renamed Netstender to reflect its optical network link extension capabilities.

The OSC complements the centerpiece of BTI's link management solution, Netstender. Delivering Plug-and-Link ease of configuration and deployment, Netstender is a flexible optical transport platform offering a variety of optical technologies to provide comprehensive optical link layer solutions, say company representatives.

The OSC expands the Netstender link view solution by enabling the management network to monitor the performance of every node and detect failures at any point on the link. With the addition of the OSC, third-party Ethernet/X.25/FR/ATM/modems-to-optical adapters are not necessary to manage the Netstender. The OSC is an IETF standards-based (RFC 791, RFC 2328) IP implementation featuring OSPF for enhanced failure recovery and topology discovery.

"Netstender optical and management capabilities provide carriers with intelligent, cost effective transport solutions that generate immediate returns, and can be deployed quickly and easily to existing or new networks without disrupting current infrastructures," explains Lance Laking, chief executive officer of BTI Photonic Systems. "The addition of the OSC module will further reduce the costs associated with maintaining an optical network by offering remote management and control capabilities."

The Netstender OSC combines managed services with NEBS Level-3 certified carrier-grade reliability to create a scalable communication infrastructure (automatic discovery of OSC nodes in the network). The OSC is designed with several technological differentiators:

• ITU-T G.692 compliance
• Two bi-directional optical transceiver ports allowing for extended reach
• Full-duplex line rate
• RFC compliant implementations of IP (RFC 791) and OSPF (RFC 2328)
• Extra Ethernet ports for third-party remote IP traffic transport
• Patent-pending fiber tray that allows for non-intrusive segregation of OSC traffic from live traffic on the fiber
• OSC management via the Netstender command line interface or graphical user interface.

"With our continuing Netstender rollout and new branding direction, BTI Photonic Systems is well placed to strengthen our leadership position within the Metro Regional space," adds Laking. "A link management system like the Netstender offers carriers an immediate opportunity to economically extend their networks and optimize link performance."