The International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) recently approved several new Recommendations, which added to the suite of global standards on the automatically switched optical network (ASON). These new Recommendations provide ASON signaling protocol extensions for supporting switched connection services and transport resource discovery and connectivity verification. Additionally, updates were provided to existing foundation optical control component architecture and Data Communications Network/Signaling Communications Network (DCN/SCN) Recommendations.
Evolution of this suite of Recommendations is being driven by the vision of enabling multivendor and multiservice-provider interoperable networking that supports end-to-end switched connection services on a global scale, with the promise of:
- Generating new revenues via rapid provisioning/service turn-up and new value-added services.
- Driving cost out of the network via more accurate inventory and topology information and automated processes that eliminate manual steps.
- Minimizing risk via more flexible response to changing service needs.
Following are the newly approved ITU-T Recommendations: .G.7713.1/Y.1704.1, Distributed Call and Connection Management (DCM) Based on PNNI;.G.7713.2/Y.1704.2, DCM Signaling Mechanism Using GMPLS RSVP-TE;.G.7713.3/Y.1704.3, DCM Using GMPLS CR-LDP;.G.7714.1/Y.1705.1, Protocol for Automatic Discovery in SDH and OTN Networks;.Amendment 1 to G.8080/Y.1304, Architecture of the Automatically Switched Optical Network; and.Revision to G.7712.1/Y.1703.1, Architecture and Specification of DCN.
Recommendations in the series that have been approved earlier include G.807/Y.1302 (7/2001) for requirements, G.8080/Y.1304 (11/2001) for architecture, G.7713/Y.1704 (12/2001) for signaling, G.7714/Y.1705 (11/2001) for discovery, and G.7715/Y.1706 (6/2002) for routing.
Work on a new draft Recommendation, G.fame, Framework for ASON Management, has just begun in the ITU-T. It will not only define the OAM&P (operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning) for ASON, but also will enable the smooth deployment and integration of ASON into the existing network.
Hing-Kam Lam is a consulting member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories of Lucent Technologies Inc. (Murray Hill, NJ) and the rapporteur of Q.14/15, ITU-T Study Group 15. He can be reached at 732-949-8338 or [email protected].