Lucent Technologies Unveils Breakthrough Adapter Cards and Software for IP over Optics

Strategic Insights -

Lucent Technologies has made a significant announcement that will substantially reduce the "worldwide wait" for PC users to download high-bandwidth files. The company's new OptiStar product line includes breakthrough adapter cards and software that will deliver IP over optics all the way to the server, enabling PC users to download files up to 50 times faster than today's corporate network connections. This is achieved through a series of products that directly link servers to optical IP networks, increasing the amount of data that servers can handle and accelerating the flow of information from a server's hard drive to the end user.

Key Takeaways:

  • The OptiStar product line includes IP network adapter cards (OptiStar OC48 and OptiStar OC12) that support speeds up to 2.5 Gb/s and 622 Mb/s, respectively, and can be plugged into servers to connect them directly to the backbone network using high-speed fiber optics.
  • The OptiStar GE1000 network adapter card handles nearly all input/output functions traditionally performed by server CPUs, enabling servers to provide full-speed gigabit ethernet access to LANs with low latency.
  • The OptiStar FC1000R adapter card enables servers to access information from both internal and external hard drives at a rate of 1 Gb/s, helping to accelerate information as it passes through servers.
  • The OptiStar EdgeSwitch is an IP-based switch that can connect multiple servers to a backbone network or to one another, processing up to 10 Gb/s of information.
  • The OptiStar Replicator software enables real-time information backup from one server to another in a WAN, allowing users to instantly recover data and applications in the event of a server failure.
  • Lucent's OptiStar products will enable servers to handle high-bandwidth applications, such as aerospace simulation, e-commerce, and medical imaging, which require media-rich, always-on communications with servers around the world.

Statistics:

  • Today's wide area network connectivity runs at speeds of up to 45 megabits (million bits) per second (Mb/s).
  • Lucent's OptiStar series replaces this connection with a 2.5-gigabit (billion bits) per second (Gb/s) fiber link, resulting in a 50-fold increase in speed.
  • 90 percent of a server's time is spent processing the flow of data in and out of the server.
  • The OptiStar adapter cards are designed to communicate with one another, allowing the transfer of files, streaming media, and other applications to take place without bogging down servers.
  • Lucent has over 2,000 patents in optical technology, including the industry's first free-space DWDM system, WaveStar OpticAir, which transmits information via beams of light directly through the air.
  • Lucent has the largest share (29 percent) of the $2.2 billion global DWDM equipment market, according to KMI Corp.

Sources:

  • M2 PRESSWIRE-7 October 1999-LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES: Lucent Technologies announces breakthrough adapter cards and software that will deliver IP over optics all the way to the server (C)1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:061099
  • Lucent Technologies' Web site: http://www.lucent-optical.com
  • Lucent Technologies' Web site: http://www.lucent.com