Cisco Systems announced the ability to deliver Fibre Channel-based storage-area-network (SAN)-extension services over SONET/SDH using its Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP). A new SL-Series interface for the Cisco ONS 15454 supports four gigabit-interface-converter (GBIC)-based ports, each capable of 1- and 2-Gbps Fibre Channel at line rates. This provides the Cisco ONS 15454 with a potential density of 40 Fibre Channel interfaces. A Cisco ONS 15454-based service network can use the Cisco ML-Series and SL-Series interfaces to provide SAN-extension services using native Fibre Channel, Gigabit Ethernet, or Fibre Channel over Internet Protocol (FCIP) with standards-based generic framing procedure-transparent (GFP-T) and virtual concatenation (VCAT) technology. SAN services would use the same management tools as with TDM and Ethernet services. The Cisco ONS 15454 ML-Series interface is currently available and the Cisco ONS 15454 SL-Series interface is scheduled to be available by year end 2003.
Separately, Cisco announced that Cogeco Cable, the second-largest cable system operator in both Ontario and Quebec, selected the ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP) ML-Series interface to reduce the type and number of network elements required for Ethernet and IP transport.
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