It’s that time again, people. Best-of lists are everywhere, no matter how lame the category. We wanted to play too, but decided to keep it simple since things get pretty frantic around the winter solstice. Our plan was to offer up this year’s top-five SearchTelecom.com hits since there’s a slim chance you might have missed one or two. Even better, you could re-gift them to a colleague along with an iPad, or a sketch of a next-gen network architecture on the back of a cocktail napkin.
But you telecom people, you just can’t keep it simple! Our top-five telecom stars – chosen with clicks from your very own keypads – turned out to be the top 10 instead. Why? Because telecom people are comfortable with layers, and these expert tips have those in abundance. Since it’s the season to be generous, we’re playing back all top 10 articles on the telecom hit parade – layers upon layers upon layers of IPv6, Optical Network Transport, 4G LTE, MPLS and OSS/BSS.
So here are our 2010 telecom gifts for you and yours:
On IPv6. Everybody’s read that the Internet is falling and IPv6 addresses are really running out (really). But our favorite IP expert Ivan Pepelnjak’s Seven IPv6 networking myths that don’t match reality struck a different kind of chord. Was it because he linked IPv4 address exhaustion to the Mayan calendar (which is pretty cool), or because he laid it on the line about what IPv6 can and can’t do and what opportunities were missed in its design? No matter what, this article should be high on your gift list.
On Optical Transport Network. For those who dream of light on these short days of the year, even better than a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) light box with a dawn simulator and free dusk option is an expert lesson on optical network transport (ONT). ACG Research’s Eve Griliches’ three-part opus on 100G DWDM optical network transport has it all, including a short history of ONT’s development for you history buffs and enabling technologies for the future for the sci-fi enthusiast on your list.