All the benefits of multi-vendor, converged networks without the operational headaches

The IP/Optical convergence trend is in full swing, yet there continue to be challenges on the network operations side. Lack of coordination across IP and optical operations is not only inefficient but also could cause network faults. Ciena’s Marie Fiala explains how having one point of management control of your high-performance, multi-layer network delivers you all the benefits of convergence and eliminates fragmented, complex network operations. Come see it live at upcoming events.

Why IP/Optical convergence isn’t plug-and-play

Underpinning every IP service — whether for cloud apps, AI inference/training, video streaming, or enterprise applications — is an optical network that delivers reliable, high-bandwidth connectivity. This vital infrastructure ensures rapid and secure data transmission across expansive distances. But IP/Optical convergence isn’t as simple as plugging a coherent optic into a router and calling it a day.

Here’s the challenge: misalignment between optical underlays and IP overlays can lead to inefficiencies, degraded performance, or worse — outages. Without direct insight into optical performance, teams may face operational blind spots, delays in troubleshooting, and missed optimization opportunities.

Streamlining IP and optical network management is every operator’s ideal, for reduced complexity, lower costs, and increased efficiency. And in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape, managing optical performance efficiently is not just critical — it’s a necessity.

Understanding the challenge of optical performance management

Managing optical performance across a multi-vendor, converged IP/Optical network, as depicted in Figure 1, demands precision. Each step in end-to-end provisioning — from wavelength planning to channel synchronization across the line system — traditionally involves manual processes that are resource-intensive and error-prone. Troubleshooting becomes another challenge. When alarms arise, they often involve multiple layers or devices, making it time-consuming to isolate root causes and assess the definitive customer impact. Most of the instrumentation resides in the pluggable, yet most of the problems occur in the fiber managed by the photonic line system – how can you troubleshoot effectively if these are managed separately? These complexities can make network management laborious. This raises a critical need for advanced tools that automate and simplify processes across vendors, devices, and layers.

Figure 1. Representation of a multi-vendor, converged IP/Optical network

Ciena’s simplified approach to converged operations

Ciena offers a straightforward approach to overcoming these management hurdles with our Navigator Network Control Suite (Navigator NCS) and commitment to open standards. Navigator NCS serves as a unified multi-layer controller that offers you comprehensive visibility and management of pluggable coherent optics across your multi-vendor, converged network — regardless of whether those pluggables are from Ciena or a third-party and are hosted in a Ciena or third-party router.

Here’s how Navigator NCS stands apart in the realm of converged network management:

• End-to-end multi-layer visibility – Navigator NCS provides a unified view of both IP and optical layers, harmonizing their operations. It ensures that lifecycle processes across technology layers — from capacity planning to provisioning to troubleshooting — are effortlessly coordinated.
• Open interoperability – Ciena’s approach is based on open standards, in line with YANG data models, NETCONF protocol, and current IETF drafts “Data Modelling and Gap Analysis of Optical Pluggables in a Packet Over Optical Network” and “Use cases, Network Scenarios and gap analysis for Packet Optical Integration (POI) with coherent pluggables under ACTN Framework”. These standards initiatives, authored by multiple vendors and operators, set the stage for easier interoperability between vendor equipment and enable operators to build flexible, future-proof architectures.
• Automation of complex workflows– Sophisticated processes like wavelength planning, modem technology selection, setting of optical channel frequency and power, path provisioning, and wavelength-channel synchronization are automated, eliminating the need for manual steps. This minimizes human error, maximizes reliability, and speeds up operations. AI insights are leveraged to enhance workflows all the more, as outlined recently for the multi-layer capacity planning use case.
• Simplified root-cause analysis – Multi-layer correlation features, such as the Problem Analysis dashboard, automatically correlate alarms from diverse devices and services. For example, they highlight customer-impacting issues within moments rather than hours, enabling operators to focus on critical tasks first.
• OSS integration – Pre-existing integration with backend operational support systems (OSS) for automation of end-to-end processes involving inventory or customer support, can be leveraged equally well for coherent pluggables. This reduces the lead time and costs required to operationalize a convergence strategy.

Successful proof points in multi-vendor environments

Extensive global trials have proven the robustness of Ciena’s solution in real-world, multi-vendor scenarios, including use cases involving third-party pluggables hosted in major router vendors’ equipment, running over both Ciena and vendor-agnostic open line systems. Successful configurations with various ZR, ZR+, and PKT-MAX pluggable modes have demonstrated seamless management interoperability with transparent visibility of pre-requisite multi-vendor YANG data models, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Example multi-layer IP/Optical service topology visualization

One standout example comes from Ciena’s collaboration with BT Group Research. Together, the trial achieved the following milestones, using Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Nano coherent pluggables and Navigator NCS within BT’s multi-layered environment:

• Seamless integration of programmable pluggables across IP and optical workflows.
• Advanced alarm correlation, reducing troubleshooting time.
• Clear visibility into power levels and performance metrics across optical paths.

See for yourself

If your goal is to leverage IP/Optical convergence to its fullest potential, choosing the right tool will make all the difference. Ciena’s simplified management approach, powered by Navigator NCS, ensures you get exactly that. Navigator NCS is more than just a controller. It’s a game-changer in network operations, providing multi-layer correlation tools that empower operators to see beyond isolated device metrics into the full end-to-end network picture.

Come visit us at MPLS & SRv6 AI Net World Congress, including the EANTC interoperability showcase, and at OFC to see what you gain with Ciena’s approach:

• Comprehensive, coordinated lifecycle operations across IP and optical layers, including coherent pluggables hosted in any router.
• Operational cost savings, reducing manual interventions and streamlining workflows.
• Future-proof standards-based solution with multi-vendor interoperability to protect your long-term strategy.