IPoDWDM Simplified: Managing 100G and 400G Coherent Optics Directly from OcNOS

For decades, IP networking and DWDM optical transport have operated as separate domains: separate hardware, separate management systems, separate teams, and separate operational workflows. The IP team manages routing protocols and forwarding. The optical team manages wavelengths, transponders, and fiber. They communicate through a handoff interface and, often, through a ticket queue.

Platform note: Coherent optics configuration requires a platform with ZR or ZR+ pluggable support. These commands are not available on the x86 OcNOS demo VM. Confirm coherent optics support for your platform in the Matriz de funciones OcNOS.

IPoDWDM (IP over Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) collapses this division. By integrating coherent optical interfaces directly into OcNOS, the same platform running IS-IS, BGP, and EVPN, operators manage both the IP layer and the optical layer from a single CLI, a single management system, and a single team.

IPoDWDM Architecture

OcNOS IPoDWDM Configuration

The front-panel port number, laser frequency and interface names below are example values from a UfiSpace S9610-46DX carrying a 400G ZR+ pluggable. Adapt them to the pluggable type, wavelength plan and port layout of your own deployment.

! OcNOS-RON IPoDWDM: the coherent pluggable and the IP layer on one router
!
! Step 1: the IP layer runs on the coherent port itself.
!   On a UfiSpace S9610-46DX the 400G ZR/ZR+ ports are cd40 and above.
configure terminal
interface cd40
  description METRO-LINK-SITE-A-TO-SITE-B
  ip address 10.10.1.1/30
  ip router isis CORE
  isis network point-to-point
  isis metric 10
  exit
commit
exit
!
! Optical provisioning (frequency, modulation, output power and FEC mode) is
! done under the qsfp-dd configuration tree. The keywords are platform and
! pluggable specific, so take them from the OcNOS documentation for your box.
!
! Step 2: module identity and state
show qsfp-dd service-status
show qsfp-dd 40 eeprom
! Identifier                 : QSFP-DD Double Density 8X Pluggable Transceiver
! Part No                    : DP04QSDD-HE0-195
! Media Interface Technology : C-band Tunable Laser
! Module Power Class         : 8      Module Max Power : 23.00 Watt
! Module State               : Ready
!
! Step 3: the coherent line side, frequency and wavelength
show qsfp-dd 40 laser status
! Grid Spacing     100.000 GHz
! Laser Frequency  193.100000 THz
! Wavelength       1552.52 nm      Wavelength locked : Yes
!
! Step 4: optical power, with the module's own alarm and warning thresholds
show qsfp-dd 40 monitors media
! Rx Optical Power and Tx Optical Power in dBm, plus Tx Bias in mA
!
! Step 5: pre-FEC error performance
show qsfp-dd 40 diagnostics media
! Signal To Noise Ratio, Bit Count, Error Count and Bit Error Ratio
!
! Step 6: the IP layer over the coherent link
show clns neighbors
! The IS-IS adjacency comes up over the coherent link automatically

Benefits of IPoDWDM with OcNOS

• Eliminate transponders: ZR/ZR+ pluggable optics plug directly into OcNOS router ports; dedicated transponder chassis and cards are not needed
• Reduce cost per bit: 100G ZR and 400G ZR/ZR+ deliver coherent capacity per wavelength at a fraction of traditional transponder cost structures
• Unified operations: network engineers manage optical parameters (frequency, power, modulation) using the same OcNOS CLI as routing protocols
• Faster fault isolation: optical degradation and IP routing issues are visible from the same OcNOS, eliminating the IP/optical team coordination bottleneck

• Evolving from P-OTN to SR-MPLS IPoDWDM
• OcNOS 7.0: IPoDWDM Features
• IPoDWDM Solution Page
• Contactar con IP Infusion

IP Infusion Engineering Team