Smart OTU- A Scalable Solution that Monitors Fibers used in all types of Optical Networks

By: Savitri Telecom Services

Maintaining fiber integrity is critical, yet outages are still one of the major causes of network disruption, incurring millions of dollars of lost revenue. And, incidents of accidental dig-ups, vehicle collisions, and sabotage multiply as fiber moves deeper into data centers and storage area networks.Maintaining fiber integrity is critical, yet outages are still one of the major causes of network disruption, incurring millions of dollars of lost revenue. And, incidents of accidental dig-ups, vehicle collisions, and sabotage multiply as fiber moves deeper into data centers and storage area networks.

Smart OTU introduced by VIAVI and being marketed by Savitri Telecom Services has proved to be quite capable of taking care of above problem. Combining a Viavi Solutions optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) with advanced optical-switch technology, Smart OTU monitors fibers longer than 150 km in all directions. Modular in design, it monitors both dark and lit fiber and it is ideal for network security protection, pinpointing events such as fiber tapping to a few tenths of a decibel. Smart OTU is a standalone remote fiber test solution that can be deployed right out of the box with no training or IT configuration required.

Smart OTU does not require any additional server or software applications — a simple web browser is enough to access all functionality including mapping. Smart OTU displays the exact GPS location of a fault on widely-available, cloud-based mapping such as Google, Bing, or legacy GIS. SmartOTU is fully compatible with the Viavi optical network monitoring system (ONMSi) and can be upgraded to be a comprehensive remote fiber test system as the network grows.

Speeding Mean-Time-to-Repair with the Smart OTU Platform

The Challenge

The company asked their dark fiber vendor to dispatch a technician with a portable instrument to troubleshoot the network. However, it often took hours and even days to get a technician out in the field. Service troubleshooting and restoration was so poor in some areas that the company decided to find their own fiber monitoring solution to quickly pinpoint issues and push dark fiber vendors for faster mean-time-to-repair (MTTR).

The Solution

After learning of their challenges, a team led by Viavi Elite partner Butler Technologies and Viavi Solutions engineers suggested a solution: the Smart OTU platform for remote fiber test and monitoring. Smart OTU continuously monitors dark fiber and gives pinpointed locations of any fiber breaks or degradation. A real-time alarm alerts the company to any physical layer issue. With this data, the company could tell their dark fiber vendor the exact location of the issue and significantly reduce MTTR. This would improve customer experience and ensure minimal lost revenue when network issues occur.

 Key Features

1. Easy-to-use interface with Web browser access

2. E-mail and SMS notifications

3. SNMP interface

4. Secure communication (HTTPS) on request

5. Solid-state disk, dual power feed, low power consumption

6. Instantaneous view of current OTDR measurement

7. Deploy right out of the box — no server or local PC required

8. Fault localization on cloud-based apps or legacy GIS

9. Auto pulse adjustment for near-end fiber faults

10. Compatible with the Viavi optical network monitoring system (ONMSi)

Applications

1. Optical fiber monitoring

2. Proactive maintenance

3. Fiber security — tap detection

4. Plant optimization