Virtualization of Cable
To make it easier for cable ops to create a virtualized environment, CableLabs and Cisco partnered to create a software project for the Remote PHY Device labeled “OpenRPD.” Originally developed by Cisco, it was contributed to the open source environment hosted at CableLabs. The Remote PHY Device is a physical layer converter commonly located in the cable network. The open source software will reside in the Remote PHY Device and will be available to cable ops and vendors around the world. Remote PHY works together with DOCSIS 3.1 to expand capacity of the cable hybrid fiber coax (HFC) plants. It is designed to help further interoperability efforts and promote virtualization to speed time to market with new services. The new software allows legacy cable equipment vendors to build remote PHY nodes without restrictions or needing to be experts in the latest cable standards. The industry led the effort a few years ago for a Converged Cable Access Platform, to simplify cable head-end operations and to move ops toward service convergence and IP video. Soon after came the invention Remote PHY, contributed to CableLabs by Cisco’s John Chapman, fellow and CTO of cable access business.