ANAHEIM, Calif. and HOLMDEL, N.J. -- OFC 2002 -- VPIsystems, the provider of product and network lifecycle management software, today released a breakthrough configuration tool that promises to dramatically reduce the time taken to plan and deploy dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) links. The VPIlinkConfigurator™ embeds verified intelligence and design rules from DWDM experts in an easy to use graphical user interface (GUI) so sales and deployment engineers can quickly configure transmission systems for request for proposals (RFPs) and network installations.According to VPIsystems’ CEO, Kay Iversen, "the motivation to develop VPIlinkConfigurator came from VPI customers in the research and development space, who told us their work is frequently interrupted to support sales and deployment engineers responding to tenders. The question was, can we capture the knowledge of the experts in rules, put it in a software tool, and pass this product on to the sales force to make the process scalable."Expert support for RFPs typically involves writing lengthy sets of configuration rules in documents that are cumbersome to manage, hard to search, and impossible to update. Iversen says the new VPIlinkConfigurator has automated these processes with patent-pending technology that delivers an accurate, high-level tool that can take into account real world limitations, like the actual locations of facilities in the field, and embedded fiber and components. In a separate release:VPIsystems™, the provider of product and network lifecycle management software, today announced the integration of Essential Macleod into the VPI Design and Deployment Center. Thin film filters play a major role in dense-WDM (DWDM) systems, and are a well-proven alternative to Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs), and arrayed-waveguide technology. Essential Macleod, named after thin film expert Angus Macleod, captures the best-in-class expertise of the Thin Film Center Inc., to design thin film optical filters. The Center's applications include WDM demultiplexers, optical add/drop multiplexers (OADMs), gain-flattening filters (GFF) and dispersion compensators.Angus Macleod, CEO of the Thin Film Center, says his team will assure compatibility of the Essential Macleod with the VPI platform, a move he says reflects growing interest in the systems aspects of thin film performance. "Thin film filters are already used as demultiplexers, gain-flatteners and dispersion compensators in DWDM systems. The availability of thin film filter models inside the VPI Design and Deployment Center will help VPI customers to see the systems impact of existing and new filter designs and subsystems. We're very much looking forward to bringing the benefits of our design tools to the worldwide VPI customer community inside VPI's award winning component and systems simulation environment."VPIsystems Inc.For more information on OFC 2002, please visit: www.nottheofc.com