re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadI can just see Stitt standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier under a banner that reads "Sonet is Dead".
Why the religious fanaticism? Why must Ethernets' success depend on the demise of SONET?
In fact, if you succeed in positioning the argument as "Ethernet or SONET", you are giving the SONET vendors a gun to shoot you with. Talk about how Ethernet is evolving to work with the existing network, not against it.
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadSo if SONET is dead, why does the 10K filing indicate R&D includes SONET??? Are LR readers being misled or just Extreme Network investors? www.extremenetworks.com/aboutu... :
Our product development activities focus on solving the needs of enterprises, service providers and metropolitan area network markets. Current activities include the continuing development of a next-generation chipset aimed at extending the capabilities of our products. Our ongoing research activities cover a broad range of areas, including, in particular, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and SONET, metropolitan network and Internet routing software, ASIC design, network management software, broadband access equipment, wireless networking equipment and content networking devices.
We have to take these naive (instead of saying stupid)comments like Stitt's with a smile.
We just have to see the state of the Telecomm industry to realize that the people coming from the IT arena think that they have the answer and/or solution for everything. Just ask them to differentiate IP from cct switching or TDM.
We have a lot of examples from the bubble years to see that knowledge of data or networking does not make one an expert in TELECOMs.
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadHere is from someone who was in IP and data networking, got suckered into telecom during the bubble (against better judgement, against the instinct that said "Ethernet/IP will rule"), and now back to data networking & IT, and doing well again, thank you. I hope Sonet dies, and along with it takes the Bells and the Bellheads and the Telcordias. Good riddance to all of them. I have met many of these types, and all I have seen is "carrier class" public sector arrogance with the "I need a manual to go the bathroom" attitude. I have banned "carrier class" in my circles. Thank God the bubble burst and we got out of that swamp. No, this is not John Chambers' inner voice talking ;-)
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadStitt must be smoking something here. SONET has made far more advancements (GFP, LCAS, VT1.5 et al.) and the price points have dropped considerably as well. In fact next-gen SONET platforms have become very competitive and are threatening packet based architectures.
I understand that Stitt must make some wild remarks to get attraction but he needs to be a little grounded in reality as well
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More Deaddodo, Scott, et all,
In spite of the fact that I recieved my high school and undergraduate education in the state of Alabama, I do understand the conept of hyperbole ;) In fact, I have been accused of it (rightly) many times in my former career in Marketing.
What I always tried to do, however, is make sure that I didn't go so far over the edge that I lost credibility, especially with my customers.
These arguements often show an ignorance of the differences between services and infrastructure, Switching technology and transport, framing and routing, etc. Sometimes this is real ignorance. Sometimes the individual really knows the differences, but ignore them to make their point (I am sure that Stitt is extremely smart and knows the real scoop).
I don't want to fall into the same trap, but I will risk it by saying this: SONET network elements are being forced to incorporate data technology, and Ethernet is being forced to incorporate elements of SONET framing and management.
We can all sit back and be entertained while the marketing guys spend huge amounts of time and money arguing over the nomenclature of what we are shooting for: data friendly SONET or carrier class Ethernet.
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadDotheMath, Your disdain for the Bells is common among NetHeads. And it is a major reason why I am not worried about NetHead companies taking over Telecom.
The Bells are the ones with most of the money to spend on telecom. Blending technologies and evolutionary approaches that take into account existing network and operations value are the only ones that will be successful.
Any slight opportunity for revolution died when the bubble burst. No one has deep enough pockets nor enough ignorance to try that again for at least a long while.
Getting the best out of both Ethernet and SONET working together will be the drivers for a significant portion of telecom for at least another 10 years.
One man's swamp is another man's beautiful lake full of livelihood. I appreciate you moving back to an environment you appreciate: I do wish you would stop dis'ing mine.
THere is never an appreciation by one side of the other. Part of one of my jobs in a past life was to manage the relationship of my company (fiber optics) and a data company. I was chosen for this because I had worked on the data side for 15 years before moving to telecom.
The optics company thought that they brought more value to the table. Router code, hey, you can download that for free off the Internet. (I assume that none of them ever tried to get the GateD version of BGP to work).
The data company though that SONET was an interface chip that you put on a router. And optics, doesn't that come from sand that you can pick up on the beach? (they later learned the hard way when they tried to get into the optics business).
Most Bellheads don't understand how the relatives simplicity of an enterprise makes their operating systems and hardware seem like overkill. Most enterprise (and Internet) people don't understand what it means to manage billions of connections and a network that covers hundreds of thousands of route-miles. To them it's just a "cloud" that is always there.
re: Stitt: Sonet's Even More DeadCoolLightGeek: The revolution died? It has just gotten started. Telcordia is the first domino to fall. Wait for ever more ruthless price cutting on all forms of value-padded Bellheadware. Voice is just a free application - my Costco card or Shell gas card would some day include unlimited VOIP calling just for the privilege of signing up for the card and buying groceries/gas.
The Bells think they found a refuge in DSL and Wireless. Wait till WiFi finishes off the margins in cellular ($20 nationwide unlimited, anyone?), and DSL getting into price war with Cable and/or Wimax. Bells are toast, unless they import some serious Nethead thinking and get rid of their ITUtidue. This time, the lecture will be given by people like us. There is justice in this world, after all!
Why the religious fanaticism? Why must Ethernets' success depend on the demise of SONET?
In fact, if you succeed in positioning the argument as "Ethernet or SONET", you are giving the SONET vendors a gun to shoot you with. Talk about how Ethernet is evolving to work with the existing network, not against it.
Why can't we all just get along? :)