Networking - SAI _ Switch Abstraction Interface - Sub-Project - (2025-12-11)

Why It Matters

A standardized SAI for OCS streamlines hardware integration, reduces development overhead, and accelerates time‑to‑market for optical networking solutions.

Key Takeaways

• Proposal defines SAI abstraction for OCS cross‑connect and port management.
• Supports batch creation, deletion, and status monitoring of OCS connections.
• Introduces factory data objects for manufacturing test results and mapping.
• API includes bulk operations, notifications, and telemetry for time‑sensitive events.
• Open questions on object relationships and future extensibility (e.g., splitters).

Summary

The meeting presented a proposal for a Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) layer tailored to Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) hardware. The team outlined how the abstraction will expose cross‑connect and port‑level functions, enabling vendors and operators to manage OCS resources through a unified API. Key functions include creation, deletion, and batch processing of cross‑connects, as well as port‑level operations such as assignment, enable/disable, and status monitoring. The design also incorporates factory data objects that expose manufacturing test results and physical‑to‑logical port mappings, and it supports bulk operations, notifications, and telemetry for time‑sensitive monitoring. During the Q&A, participants highlighted ambiguities in object relationships—particularly how cross‑connect IDs relate to port IDs and whether factory data should be linked to physical paths. The discussion clarified that cross‑connect IDs are generated from physical port pairs, that factory data is a static matrix, and that discovery of ports lies outside the current scope, requiring additional documentation. If adopted, this SAI layer could standardize OCS integration across vendors, accelerate deployment of optical switching solutions, and provide a foundation for future extensions such as splitters or multi‑port configurations, provided the identified relationship details are resolved.

Original Description

Public call recording of Networking - SAI _ Switch Abstraction Interface sub-project.