Technology

BTI Systems is focused on redefining networks right to the network optical edge.  Using extensive optical expertise to design solutions from the ground up that address the challenges service providers and enterprise operators face as they deploy next generation services and applications.  As bandwidth scales and new service offerings such as 4G wireless and video are deployed, network capacity, space, power and cost become critical requirements at the network edge.

BTI’s focuses on fundamental principles to address these challenges:

1. Compact Footprint – scalable bandwidth platforms that make the most efficient use of rack units (RUs)
2. Low Power – platforms that provide connectivity with power requirements in the range of 100W; less than today’s servers, reducing operational costs and data center cooling requirements
3. Operationally Simple – solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing operational systems and reduce the time and cost associated with training, installation, provisioning and maintenance. Platforms are extended temperature capable to simplify deployment
4. Convergence Enabler – tiered networks leveraging multiple platforms aren’t feasible in today’s business environment. Integrated, advanced wavelength and packet functionality combined with WDM delivers all service types: SONET/SDH, Ethernet, Storage, and HD Video
5. Intuitively Scalable - network operators must provide the increasing demand for bandwidth and existing transport technologies aren’t effective. A modular approach, CWDM and DWDM wavelength plans, and legacy network integration functionality allows networks to increment capacity at the lowest cost per reliably transported bit possible
6. dB Focused -  extended reach is a necessity to keep costs low and reach the largest market possible. A complete portfolio of amplifiers, regenerators, and dispersion compensation all integrated to provide low cost per wavelength extension solutions

BTI System’s expertise delivers solutions that provide the end-to-end capabilities of today’s core metro solutions in an ultra compact, low-power, scalable platform that cost effectively and efficiently delivers end-to-end multiprotocol gigabit services and high capacity to the network edge.

Packet Optical Edge Leadership

Packet Optical Edge combines converged Ethernet and optical networking over a fully-featured WDM infrastructure with compact, low power, easy-to-use platforms that cost-effectively extend core metro functionality to the network edge.

BTI couples Layer 0, 1, and 2 technologies in a single platform with extensive SONET/SDH/OTN network interoperability functionality, performance monitoring, and protection capabilities to deliver comprehensive, service-oriented networking. 

Leveraging the latest optical technologies BTI solutions provide the best combination of versatility, performance, cost, and space.

• microWDM™ Optical Networking
• packetVX™ Integrated Packet Services
• GFP/VCAT for Efficient Packet-Oriented Transport
• G.709 OTN for Improved Network Performance
• SONET/SDH/OTN for Network Interoperability & Protection
• Comprehensive Performance Management
• Simple, Efficient Management

microWDM™ Optical Networking

BTI’s microWDM™ provides feature-rich, WDM transport for all of today’s key network applications. It combines high density multiprotocol optical interfaces, and a full suite of network building blocks to support extended reach requirements, integration of legacy network solutions, and single-fiber networking applications.

Multiprotocol Transport

BTI’s transponders, dual transponders, and muxponder client service modules utilize SFP and XFP pluggable technology for the flexibility to match a cost effective optical interface with the wavelength required for the application and limit sparing requirements. The complete portfolio of dual transponders offers integrated line protection capabilities providing high density and availability in a single service slot. Dual transponders also provide high density 3R (amplify, re-shape, re-time) regeneration, accepting and regenerating two bidirectional wavelengths.

CWDM & DWDM Networking

BTI’s wavelength plans provide Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) options. 16 Channel ITU-compliant CWDM provides cost-effective, moderate fiber capacity gains for span requirements up to 100km. 32 Channel ITU-compliant DWDM offers a high-capacity fiber gains or capabilities to extend wavelengths beyond standard optics reach leveraging amplification technologies. Both wavelength plans offer 10 Gbps channel solutions (a new capability in CWDM solutions) providing immense capacity gains over direct-on-fiber alternatives.

BTI’s filter plans provide scalable, low initial first cost by leveraging 1, 2, and 4 channel Optical Add Drop Multiplexers (OADMs) as well as high capacity add-drop with band-based mux-demux WDM filters that can be cascaded to address the entire wavelength spectrum. 

Reach Extension

BTI addresses the complex effects on extending the reach of optical signals such as power, Optical Signal-to-Noise Ratio (OSNR), and Chromatic Dispersion with a portfolio of amplification and dispersion compensation modules.

An optical signal transmitted through optical fiber suffers from attenuation due to the physical characteristics of optical fiber, splice loss and connector loss in the transmission cable.  Different technologies can amplify the optical signal to compensate for this attenuation, depending on the operating wavelength.

Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFA) are used to amplify signals in the DWDM wavelength spectrum (1528 nm to 1615 nm). This is achieved by transferring the energy from power laser diodes at 980 nm or 1480 nm to the optical signal. When the erbium ions within the amplifier are excited to a high energy state the doped fiber changes from a passive medium to an active amplifying medium. 

Dispersion is a phenomenon that causes the separation of a wave into spectral components with different wavelengths. There is both material dispersion and waveguide dispersion and both variants may be present within a WDM system.  Material dispersion comes from a frequency-dependent response of a material to waves. Waveguide dispersion occurs when the speed of a wave in a waveguide (such as an optical fiber) depends on its frequency for geometric reasons. Their combination leads to signal degradation in optical fibers based on the difference in arrival time between different components of a signal at the receiver.

BTI network technology leverages Dispersion Compensating Fiber (DCF) and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) dispersion modules to compensate for the effects of dispersion and improve optical reach performance.

Network Adaptation

BTI provides innovative solutions to address all physical network situations and deliver 16? CWDM or 32 wavelength DWDM network capacity. The microWDM™ passive filter portfolio provides:
* Single fiber bi-directional networking capabilities to fully maximize fiber plant infrastructures
* 1310nm + WDM combiners to integrate legacy connectivity solutions
* Hybrid xWDM modules to leverage both CWDM and DWDM on the same fiber infrastructure
* C-band red/blue filters to maximize optical reach performance

BTI simplifies and expands deployment capabilities to outside plant facilities with extended temperature capable modules. BTI solutions are compliant with the industrial temperature limit requirements (-20°C to +65°C) specified in GR-3108 (Generic Requirements for Network Equipment in the Outside Plant (OSP).

packetVX™ Integrated Packet Services

The packetVX™ module family provides an innovative approach for rapid delivery of new Ethernet-based services. Integrated into the BTI 7000 series platform, packetVX™ provides Gigabit Ethernet service aggregation onto 10 Gbps Ethernet rings, coupling packet switching functionality with WDM.

Coupling the Ethernet and WDM layer enables BTI to bring our carrier-grade expertise to Ethernet and packet processing. Protection options from the optical domain deliver sub 50ms layer 2 protection switching, allowing robust delivery of Ethernet and packet services with high availability.

packetVX™ modules are Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF 9 and 14) and DLS Forum (TR 101) compliant and support industry-standard Layer 2 services and Quality of Service (QOS) features and a range of MEF defined service topologies (ELINE, ELAN).

The packetVX™ module family provides Ethernet aggregation and switching at the optical network edge to maximize network capacity for backhaul applications such as those from DSLAMs, MSANs, or 4G wireless with a range of sizing options to address specific requirements.

packetVX™ is also an effective delivery vehicle for Ethernet Business Services with a full IEEE 802. 1 standards-based implementation enabling tiered service level offerings on a per customer and/or per service basis. Extensive Ethernet OAM and ITU-T Y. 1731 performance management provide comprehensive visibility for Service Level Agreement (SLA) adherence.

A key application is the increased demand for HD Video distribution. Integrated IGMP video processing and Denial-of-Service (DOS) attack prevention functionality improves system response and off-loads responsibilities from over-burdened, centralized routers and DSLAMs/OLTs.

Irrespective of the application, it is critical to provide the same level of security in the Ethernet space as other access technologies.  MEF User-to-Network Interface (UNI) provides private line, circuit-like isolation of customer traffic. Additional client security is provided via Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) Snooping, identifying customers based on MAC, IP Address, and port information to prevent malicious user access. Access Control Lists (ACLs) and IEEE 802. 1x authenticate clients that are allowed to transmit traffic through the network.

Efficient Packet-Oriented Transport

Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) is defined by ITU-T G.7041 and ANSI T1-105. 02 standards and is the BTI Systems approach to transporting IP, Ethernet, and Storage traffic efficiently and enabling simplified network interoperability. Framed GFP (GFP-F) is optimized for bandwidth efficiency encapsulating complete frames with a GFP header.  Transparent GFP (GFP-T) is used for low latency transport of block-coded client signals such as GbE, Fibre Channel, and FICON.

Virtual Concatenation (VCAT) provides increased granularity to enable services to better fit client bandwidth requirements to allocated WAN bandwidth. This technology allows for increased WAN efficiency as well as expanded market applicability for connectivity services based on the ability to sub-rate bandwidth offers (ie: 300Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Private Line service).

G.709 OTN for Improved Network Performance

G.709 OTN provides a digital wrapper for any protocol for a reliable transport mechanism that scales more cost effectively and efficiently than SONET/SDH. The integration of OTN digital wrapper technology into the BTI 7000 Series provides G.975 Forward Error Correction (FEC). FEC improves the optical link budget by providing a proactive method to correct errors at the receiver and thereby also reduces regeneration requirements, limiting network costs. Leveraging the Reed-Solomon RS (255/239) coding technique allows correction of up to eight bytes per codeword.

BTI utilizes the General Communications Channel (GCC0) byte in the OTN frame overhead to provide in-band management communications.

SONET/SDH/OTN for Network Interoperability & Protection

Interoperability with existing network infrastructure is critical. All client service modules can provide SONET/SDH/OTN encapsulation.  This standards-based methodology allows a client signal to be provisioned on a BTI platform and interoperate with existing SONET/SDH/OTN network infrastructure and other BTI client service modules over a common network medium.

All client service modules are also fully transparent to client signals, passing synchronization schemes and timing information efficiently.  BTI’s portfolio of muxponders also leverage standards-based SONET/SDH and OTN strategies to provide UPSR/SNCP ring protection or OTN 1+1 facility protection to address stringent service requirements.

Comprehensive Performance Management

BTI offers comprehensive Performance Monitoring (PM) and alarming across the entire portfolio of client service modules and packetVXTM. Performance monitoring, which is available for physical, Layer 1, and Layer 2 attributes (where applicable, based on RMON 2819 Ethernet Statistics), is reviewed in real time or from a historical perspective and provides:
* Quality of Service (QoS) statistics
* Fault isolation with respect to provisioned service section, line, and path
* Automatic protection switching using SONET/SDH or OTN mechanisms
* Upstream fault propagation

Simple and Powerful Network Management

Management must be simple to use and integrate with existing operational systems.  BTI provides a single management solution to manage all network layers and service types.  The management system delivers a multi-level network view providing visibility at layer 0, layer 1, and layer 2 eliminating the need for multiple management solutions.

Service provisioning is enabled by simple point and click selection. Admission Control is performed by the management system and validates that each circuit can be supported end-to-end with the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS).

To address the varied needs of customers, BTI’s management solution is architected using a building block approach. This allows multiple management products to be supported with similar look and feel, simplifying training and support.

The  management system was developed using JAVA based tools which allow for multiple platform support (SUN/Solaris, Windows). MySQL is used as the underlying database for cost effective, scalable deployments. Flexible deployment models are enabled by the support of multiple protocols including SNMP, TL1, CLI and XML.  BTI’s management systems are also designed to comply with the Telemanagement forum MTOSI model for OSS interfaces.