MAX Deploys Ekinops’ 10GB Ethernet Converter in Trans-Atlantic Network

Ekinops today announced Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) has deployed its 10GB LAN PHY to WAN PHY protocol converter to connect its 10GB Ethernet network to an OC192/STM-64 submarine network between the United States and Europe.

MAX’s Next Generation Internet Exchange is a major U.S. East Coast peering exchange point for large federal, commercial, research and education networks, including Abilene (Internet2), ESNet and NREN. This new 10GB link provides a high-speed connection between U.S. networks and GEANT, a PAN-European research and education network.

“What is typically available from submarine cable operators and many carriers is OC192 or STM64 service, but we needed a 10 gigabit LAN PHY service to interface with our peering switch,” said Dan Magorian, director of engineering at MAX. “Our challenge was to find an economical solution for connecting the two different interfaces.”

MAX is using Ekinops PM 1001PC to connect its 10GB LAN PHY switch to OC192/STM64 equipment.

Jonathan Amir, Ekinops’ vice president for the Americas, said the problem MAX faced is shared by other service providers, particularly as it concerns submarine optical networks that were deployed three to four years ago before there were products with 10GB LAN PHY interfaces.

Amir said PM 1001PC, which was announced at GLOBALCOMM 2006, is the only standalone product to provide this capability. He said it does not use Optical Transport Network digital wrapper techniques to translate protocols. Instead, it encapsulates 10GB Ethernet packets into SONET/SDH frames compatible with OC192/STM64 bit rate.

Amir added that MAX is not the only customer that is using it, but is the first publicly announced customer.

Ekinops www.ekinops.net

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