There is a lot of focus on the Edge, but “the Edge” can mean a lot of different things. For the purpose of this article, I will refer to the Edge as data center locations bringing compute and storage to within a 5 msec latency of the customer. Even this definition applies to a range of data center sizes; anything from moderately sized data centers (~1 to 5 MW) located in 2nd and 3rd tier cities to sub 250 kW containers that manage data from 5G cell towers. What these smaller data centers all have in common is a need for automation. While larger data centers operate with multiple personnel on site, these Edge Data Centers are remote and will need to operate unmanned.
One of the major motivations given as the need for edge data centers is 5G. This is due to the reduced latency offered with true 5G and the expectation of new applications to leverage this low latency. But there are many other drivers, like for example the rise of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies that create a need for reduced latency today. When services are hosted in the cloud, a high latency can lead to unacceptable performance for the user. As a simple example, our company uses a cloud-based CAD program. Since CAD systems process a lot of data as you visualize and manipulate the object, delays will be evident (and annoying) if the software and storage are located a significant distance away from the user. Another motivation driving the need towards edge data centers is to reduce the cost of backhaul traffic. Locating services closer to the user means the data transit costs can be significantly reduced and backhaul networks offloaded.
With the need for edge data centers established, let’s return to the question of how to operationalize the edge. Much of the network stack has been automated already. Routers and switches operate a data plane and a control plane with software defined networking (SDN) monitoring and managing the network. SDN has allowed the network to scale and handle the vast amounts of traffic generated today. But the underlying physical fiber layer lacks these monitoring and control features. Making or modifying a fiber interconnection typically requires a technician to manually route the fiber and make the connection. Depending on the business practices at multi-tenant data centers, this manual connection can take from 3 days to a week. And we have been told that for remote edge data centers, it can take several weeks to coordinate getting a fiber connection installed or reconfigured. But there are systems available today that can help operationalize an unmanned edge data center.
Telescent has developed a robotic Network Topology Manager (NTMTM) that allows remote management and diagnostics of the fiber layer using an SDN interface or a turn-key network Orchestrator. The robotic system allows connections, reconfigurations and disconnection to be handled remotely while offering ultra-low loss and latching performance just like a regular fiber connector. Once the robot has cleaned the fiber and placed it into the new connection, the connection will act like a static patch panel. And since the Telescent system includes a power monitor as well as other optional equipment such as an OTDR, any issue with the fiber can be monitored and diagnosed remotely. The Telescent NTMTM offers a pay-as-you-grow model and can scale from a few hundred ports to over 1,000 ports in a single system, a size that is perfectly suited for edge data centers. And since reliability will be critical for operation in unmanned locations, the Telescent NTMTM has been certified to NEBS Level 3, has passed multiple customer trials simulating a 10-year lifetime and has over 1 billion port hours in operation.
To illustrate this use case for the Telescent system, one of our customers has recently deployed a number of Telescent systems at remote locations in a metro area. These huts are connection points for fiber cables and contain communications equipment as well as the Telescent system with an OTDR. Since these fibers run along highways, fiber cuts due to construction are a problem and the Telescent system can identify and characterize issues as well as reconfigure the fiber connections to provide alternative paths around the cut. The photo shows one example of where the Telescent NTM has been deployed.
If you have or are planning edge data centers, please contact Telescent to learn how your data centers can benefit from automating the fiber layer.