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SCOPE Alliance Update: Virtualization Package and Environmental Profile SCOPE Alliance, an association of Network Equipment Providers (NEPs), recently announced two technical documents that clarify standards for the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ecosystem: a Virtualization Package and an Environmental Profile. SCOPE is dedicated to helping, enabling, and promoting open carrier grade platforms based on COTS hardware/software and Free Open Source Software (FOSS) building blocks, and advancing interoperability. The Virtualization Package describes features the NEPs need to implement carrier-grade telecommunications solutions. It consists of three white papers that address State-of-the-Art, Use Cases, and Requirements. In creating these documents, SCOPE’s Virtualization Working Group focused on core networking, emphasizing the control and data planes. The State-of-the-Art paper covers system virtualization. It classifies virtualization approaches, along with their goals, advantages, and drawbacks. The Use Cases paper discusses deployment and consolidation of telecommunications applications in various hardware configurations. It describes specific situations where virtualization might be of value to NEPs. The Requirements paper delineates features required by NEPs. SCOPE believes that identifying requirements will help providers deliver carrier-grade virtualization features and solutions. SCOPE has also released its Environmental Profile that will help vendors and integrators design, build, and deliver COTS components that comply with environmental specifications. Current specifications include ones defined by international standards bodies, Network Operators, and even the NEPs themselves. However, there is no consolidated set, making it virtually impossible for COTS components to comply with everything. The Environmental Profile addresses indoor environments. It is unique in that it defines requirements for both Central Offices and Network Data Centers. Each type of facility has its own challenges and requirements for the storage and usage of network equipment. SCOPE defined requirements for these two specific categories to minimize market fragmentation and avoid the need to develop separate versions of equipment. The profile defines parameters for location construction, power, and safety, as well as factors such as equipment surface and flow-through air temperatures, airborne contaminants, and earthquake resistance. It is hardware agnostic and applies to any platform, including AdvancedTCA, MicroTCA, and other form factors. SCOPE also identified gaps in existing specifications for consideration by standards bodies in their work. SCOPE anticipates that these new technical documents will engender a thriving ecosystem of suppliers and users for carrier-grade base platforms by facilitating the fast adoption of open specifications. The documents are free to download at www.scope-alliance.org. Timo Jokiaho is the SCOPE Alliance Technical Officer and can be reached at timo.jokiaho@nsn.com. Ron Breault is the SCOPE Alliance Technical Co-Chair and can be reached at breault@nortel.com. |