FREMONT, Calif. -- In an effort to enhance the development of sophisticated add/drop multiplexers, TDM cross connect and grooming switches, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has published a TDM Fabric to Framer Interface Implementation Agreement (IA). Known as TFI-5, the agreement is intended to allow framer and switch components from multiple vendors to interoperate. The IA defines support for key functionality including link integrity monitoring, connection management and mapping mechanisms for both SONET/SDH and non-SONET/SDH clients such as Ethernet and Fiber Channel. TFI-5 is intended for use in Time Domain Multiplexed applications compared to the previously release SPI-5, which is targeted for packet/cell applications.

"With the addition of the TFI-5 interface IA, the OIF completes a portfolio of 40 Gbps bandwidth IC interfaces consisting of SFI-5, SPI-5 and TFI-5," said Brian Von Herzen, Xilinx, Inc., OIF interoperability working group co-chair. "The group of IAs enhance the ability of communication equipment providers to purchase communication ICs from multiple vendors and rapidly integrate them into working systems."

There are a number of vendors offering TDM framers, as well as switching fabrics, and this agreement will help ensure cross vendor interoperability. Traffic on each link between the framer and the fabric is modeled after a SONET/SDH frame. In order to ensure device interoperability across multiple vendor devices it is important that the electrical, optical, jitter and byte signaling protocols are compatible.

Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF)