OIF Completes UNI Specs

FREMONT, Calif. -- The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) announced today that its membership has approved a signaling specification for the OIF's User Network Interface (UNI) 1.0. The specification defines the signaling protocols implemented by client and transport network equipment from different vendors to invoke services, the mechanisms used to transport signaling messages and the auto-discovery procedures that aid signaling. The primary service offered by the transport network over the UNI is the ability to create and delete connections on-demand. Developed by OIF's Technical Committee, the new specification is the result of work by the Forum's Architecture, Carrier, Operations Administration, Maintenance & Provisioning (OAM&P) and Signaling Working Groups. "The UNI 1.0 implementation agreement marks the beginning of a new era of interoperability in optical internetworking," said Steve Joiner, OIF's Technical Committee chairman. "The OIF's work towards the formalization of a standard for UNI 1.0 marks a significant step for the industry towards the implementation of an open transport network layer. Indeed, the carriers are starting to reference the OIF UNI in their documents for network upgrades and build-outs demonstrating the growing support for this agreement."Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF)