IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance:
This month saw the formation of an important new Industry Forum – The IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance, which is chartered with promoting IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol for synchronization delivery over packet networks. Now that the IEEE 1588 and ITU 8261 standards are complete, along with a “Telecom profile” for deploying these standards in telecommunications applications, the IEEE’s Conformity Assessment Program is working to create a certification program for the conformity of individual vendor implementations in networking, synchronization and test equipment with the standard.
The founding of this Alliance is an important step for the Carrier Ethernet industry as having a de-facto standard for synchronization delivery over packet networks (like Ethernet) will enable Ethernet to be used in a variety of demanding high performance applications like Mobile Backhaul. In North America the wide-spread availability of GPS clock sources at remote cell tower locations has enabled operators to take advantage of the capacity and cost advantages of Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul. Indeed this has led to an explosion in the number of cell sites that are connected with Ethernet. However, outside of North America the lack of GPS synchronization information at the cell sites requires a different approach.
There have been numerous approaches to reliably delivering accurate synchronization information to remote cell sites over the years. The legacy TDM and ATM networks that use Sonet/SDH synchronous transport technologies have synchronization “built-in” as these technologies carry frequency timing information along with the data that they carry. Ethernet, which is an asynchronous networking technology doesn’t have this feature, and requires special handling for the delivery synchronization information. Many have tried and few have successfully developed solutions for synchronization delivery using a myriad of techniques including Adaptive Clock Recover (ACR), Network Time Protocol (NTP), and Synchronous Ethernet. Recent extension to the IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) completed in 2008, along with work by the ITU Recommendation G.8261 have paved the way for PTP to become the dominant technology.
The IEEE’s recently announced Conformity Assessment Program is developing a certification test program designed to recognize individual vendor implementations that meet the standards, and are able to pass a battery of conformance tests to be administered by the Iometrix lab. Accedian has joined an elite group of industry leaders from the synchronization and networking industries to help found the I588 Conformity Alliance. For more information, please visit the Alliance web site: http://www.ieee-isto.org/icap-program/current-programs/IEEE-1588-Conformity-Alliance.
Accedian and its training provider partner, The Carrier Ethernet Alliance, are excited to announce the fall calendar of Carrier Ethernet Service Creation and Service Assurance tutorial webinars.
These informational web-based seminars will provide you with an overview of the MEF’s Services and Interfaces Definitions along with a detailed look at Service Assurance techniques using Carrier Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM).
The seminar series will provide the technical insight into the MEF Services Specifications (MEF 6.1 and 10.2) as well as cover OAM features of the UNI Type 2 (MEF 20) Implementation Agreement (IA). The seminars will also present the challenges of service creation and service assurance along with solutions for automating these two aspects of deploying and monitoring Carrier Ethernet Services.
1. Carrier Ethernet Service Creation
Presenting an overview of MEF service definitions based on the MEF 6.1 and 10.2 technical specification documents; as well as a discussion on automating service creation for MEF compliant Carrier Ethernet services.
| October 19, 2010 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PDT Register for this session |
October 20, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
| November 2, 2010 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
November 3, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
| November 16, 2010 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PDT Register for this session |
November 17, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
2. Carrier Ethernet Service Assurance
Presenting Carrier Ethernet OAM capabilities of UNI Type 2 based upon the MEF 20 IA; as well as a discussion on automating service assurance by monitoring service performance, reliability and QoS and providing proactive SLA monitoring and reporting.
| October 26, 2010 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PDT Register for this session |
October 27, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
| November 9, 2010 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PDT Register for this session |
November 10, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
| November 30, 2010 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PDT Register for this session |
December 1, 2010 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT Register for this session |
Accedian will be attending a number of important industry events over the next several months and we invite you to join us live. We’ll be presenting on a variety of topical subjects including how to leverage Carrier Ethernet for 4G/LTE mobile backhaul, looking at opportunities for cable operators in the rapidly growing mobile backhaul market, and examining the latest advances in Service Assurance using Carrier Ethernet Operations, Administration & Maintenance (OAM) techniques.
October 18, 2010, Chicago, IL – Backhaul & Core Convergence Strategies For Mobile Operators Summit @ 4G World
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Packet Backhaul Technology
In this session, Accedian and other leading providers will present their solutions for carrier metro-fiber, Ethernet services as well as licensed and unlicensed wireless solutions for 4G network backhaul. The track leader will moderate a panel discussion on the key issues in the rapidly changing 4G network backhaul market landscape, including the global market opportunity, mobile operator requirements, and technology alternatives.
November 2, 2010, New York, NY – Ethernet Expo
11:40 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – The Power & the Promise of Carrier Ethernet Access Platforms 2.0
Service providers worldwide are investing in about a dozen different Ethernet access solutions to support business, residential, and mobile backhaul traffic. This session highlights the latest developments in the Carrier Ethernet access market and shares real-world examples of how service providers have addressed customer needs and achieved rapid returns on their investments in cutting-edge Ethernet technologies. Specifically, we will look at experiences with four categories of Carrier Ethernet access platforms (CEAPs): Ethernet-over-bonded copper pair platforms; Ethernet-over-TDM access circuit platforms; Ethernet-over-fiber intelligent demarcation/switch platforms; and Ethernet over wireless platforms.
December 9, 2010, London, England – Backhaul Strategies & Core Convergence for Mobile Operators
2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. – Overcoming New Backhaul Challenges with LTE
The X2 interface, new security risks, and the potential need for phase synchronization are just three features of the LTE standard that generate different requirements in the way backhaul is delivered and managed in LTE as compared with 3G. This panel will debate how operators should be building LTE design requirements into their existing backhaul networks and how much of what’s in the ground for 3G can be reused.
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LTE Handbook Overview
