"Low Touch" Optical Network Maintenance and the End of Downtime

Performing maintenance on optical network infrastructure doesn't need hours of planning, re-routing of traffic, customer notifications, and "touching" transmission equipment (transponders, ROADMs, OTN terminals, SONET ADMs).  Using compact, low cost Polatis 1000 series optical switches, network operators can simplify maintenance processes, make them faster and more efficient, and safer for maintenance personnel.  The result is a reduction in network downtime and operational costs, and an improvement in network and human resource utilization.  Here's how we can help you do it.

Small form factor Polatis 1000 series switches are inserted at the end point of each fiber span (after Raman amplifiers).  The switches are connected to primary and secondary spare fibers which can be "lit" or "dark".  When the primary fibers require maintenance, network operators can simply switch to the secondary or spare fiber using Polatis' easy to use graphic user interface (GUI) over the supervisory channel of most DWDM equipment.  Or the switch can happen automatically (Automatic Protection Switching - APS), when the Polatis optical switch senses a loss of light on the fiber.  Loss of light, and an APS event, triggers an SNMP alarm to operations personnel.  However, transmission equipment sees, in most cases, only a low power alarm that clears after the switching event is complete (<20msec). 

Polatis has performed extensive testing that has demonstrated:

• Switching to spare or secondary fibers using the Polatis switch does not cause amplifiers of any type (pre-, booster, amplifier, Raman amplifier) to shut down nor trigger other service effecting events in transmission equipment.
• The switches inject <1dB loss.
• Switches can support very high optical power - >30dBm.
• Protection switching that supports "dark" or "unlit" fiber.

Using Polatis optical switches, network operators can now simply automatically, or manually, switch to a spare fiber whenever maintenance needs to be performed on a fiber span.  Maintenance events are isolated to each unique span, and no longer impact network transmission equipment and other routes in the optical infrastructure.  Additionally, the operational complexity of maintenance events is reduced and maintenance personnel are shielded from potentially harmful exposure to high power lasers.

The bottom line for network operators - using Polatis Series 1000 optical switches, network maintenance can be fast, efficient, and safe.  Our "low touch" approach means the end of downtime for maintenance and an better use of valuable network and human resources.

Interested in learning more about how Polatis can make maintenance a "low touch" operation in your network?  Contact us at:

• 978-327-5080  telephone
• info@polatis.com  email
• http://www.polatis.com/