Nokia Brings PON-based OOBM to Data Centers to Save Space, Power and Cost

Aurelis, a purpose-built solution for out-of-band management, leverages Passive Optical Network (PON) fiber technology to significantly reduce the amount of active equipment, power and operational cost.

Nokia has announced the expansion of its out-of-band management (OOBM) portfolio with the launch of Aurelis for Data Centers.  The new purpose-built, PON-based fiber solution gives AI and cloud providers a simple, effective way to establish critical OOBM functions. Reducing the number of active switches by 90%, the solution improves space efficiency, delivers 50% or more power savings and simplifies operational effort by 80%.       

Traditional OOBM architectures depend on dedicated per-rack switches, adding unnecessary complexity while increasing power and cooling demands. As data centers scale, finding new ways to simplify operations and reduce costs become critical.

Nokia’s Aurelis solution for Data Centers provides a simpler, more efficient and cost effective OOBM architecture. The PON optical switch with six nines availability can connect and manage thousands of endpoints from a single platform, significantly reducing the number of switches and power required. With zero touch provisioning, the solution is easy to install and comes with plug-and-play optical modems that can be remotely managed. AI-enabled proactive troubleshooting and automated operations also reduce manual work and minimize on-site visits. 

Key Devices

• Aurelis MF-2 Optical Switch (OLT): a central switch that connects thousands of devices in point-to-multipoint architecture.
• Aurelis Optical Modems (ONT): stateless devices that terminate fiber and convert signal into Ethernet ports. The ONTs can be managed remotely and are typically top-of-rack  mounted to save space.
• Aurelis Command Center (CC): a mature management solution with intent-based capabilities for simplified operations that is designed to interface with data center controller and automation systems.

Key Quotes

“With AI demand seeing no signs of slowing down, data centers are looking to PON technology to help save on costs and space. PON is designed for efficiency and reliability, making it the perfect technology for out-of-band management in data centers. Aurelis is already deployed in over 700 mission critical enterprise networks and is ideally suited to help data centers become more resilient and efficient,” said Geert Heyninck, General Manager, Broadband Networks, Nokia.

“As data centers scale to support cloud and AI workloads, operational complexity and risk are increasing. PON-based OOBM reflects a broader industry shift towards a simpler, greener, fiber-based architecture. For data centers, PON’s point-to-multipoint architecture delivers massive space, power and cost savings,” said Chris DePuy, Analyst and Co-Founder, 650 Group.

Key Links

More information about the PON for data center out-of-band management

Read the White Paper: Nokia PON for Data Center Management