FiberLinX from IMC Networks allows service providers to manage fiber connections from their network management center without a truck roll.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Associate Editor [May 22, 2001]

Founded in 1988, IMC Networks originally manufactured Ethernet products, adding hubs and repeaters in 1990. Operating from dual offices in Belgium and the U.S., IMC has expanded into media conversion, such as copper to fiber converters, in 1995, and is rolling out new products regularly.

Jukka Rissanen, IMC senior marketing manager said the firm is now a "one-stop shop for telco building blocks."

Its latest product is dubbed FiberLinX, a system that provisions point-to-point fiber connections and is designed to allow service providers to manage a connection all the way to the customer site without a truck roll.

In addition, it functions as a media converter—copper to fiber and back again—so that service providers can use lower cost copper switching gear at both ends of the connection, as shown above.

The software (left) gathers traffic statistics, and the device can be pinged by software such as HP OpenView, its Linux rivals, and other software. The software shows the status of the connection in real time. The product proactively manages the connection by implementing an SNMP trap, as defined by the service provider.

If an anomalous situation occurs, such as a break in the line or a loss of traffic from the client's LAN to the outside, the software immediately notifies the network manager through a popup window or command line alert.

Pricing and availability
FiberLinX is available now. The MSRP for a FiberLinX module depends on the wavelength required, and runs from $1,220 for the 1300nm single-mode module to $3,810 for the 1550 nm long-haul single-mode module.

A typical headend chassis for the telco CO, such as the PowerChassis/113, has a list price of $1,500, and a typical customer switch, such as the PowerChassis/101, has a list price of $300.

—End