Reduce Provisioning Time and Errors

netFLEX® Optical Domain ControllerTM (ODC)

Control and automate the service life-cycle. The netFLEX platform provides service automation and control across disparate suppliers and technologies. With an active, realtime inventory that learns the network from the network, provisioning automation is accomplished from the true representation of the network. Service instantiation and change management is enabled from the netFLEX UI and standard API framework.

netFLEX enables the creation and modification of services in near-realtime compared with what might take hours or even days using standard provisioning methods that leverage numerous resources (i.e. people/processes/systems).

Path Computation Engine (PCE) for End-to-End Service Activation

The A-to-Z Connect capability is enabled through the netFLEX Path Computation Engine (PCE) framework. netFLEX PCE provides multiple options to design and provision an end-to-end service. This netFLEX ODC capability is available across disparate suppliers and technologies to provide available service paths, available capacity, and route selection based on multiple algorithms (Least Hops, Least Latency, other). As available for:

  • A-to-Z Service Instantiation
  • Service or Route Modification
  • Scheduling an activation or change leveraging the netFLEX service provisioning and pre-planned rearrangement features to defer changes until they are required.
  • Control Automation also enabled via control-loop algorithms (feedback-loop controls for auto-restoration and other policy-defined options).
  • Beyond PCE, a user or system can custom select a node-by-node service path and the ports required.
  • In addition to A-to-Z Connect, netFLEX allows for A-to-Z ‘Design-as-a-Service’ back to provisioning/OSS frameworks.

For all of these scenarios, netFLEX handles all communications to the corresponding network elements. A-to-Z Connect is available through the netFLEX Swagger / API Services and UI Framework.

Control-Loop-Automation

With realtime understanding of network and service inventory and performance, netFLEX enables data-driven (policy) control automation. As it would relate to Optical Waves and Control-Loop-Automation, netFLEX Intent Based Networking (IBN) reflects the following attributes:

  • Translation and Validation – netFLEX takes higher-level business policy as input and converts it to the necessary network configuration. The system then generates and validates the resulting design and configuration for correctness.
  • Automated Implementation – netFLEX then configures the appropriate network changes across existing network infrastructure by way of control automation.
  • Awareness of Network State – netFLEX ingests realtime network data/analytics to make realtime decisioning.
  • Assurance and Dynamic Optimization/Remediation – netFLEX continuously validates (in realtime) that the original business intent of the system is being met and will take corrective actions (such as auto-detect, auto-test/triage, auto-remediate) when desired intent is not met.

Simplify, Standardize, and Personalize

Network Automation through netFLEX allows customers to Simplify & Standardize their complex operating environments to make it ‘all look the same.’ Programmability allows them to Personalize their Operations and Customer Facing environments, by leveraging Network-as-a-Service modularity via the netFLEX API and Analytics constructs.