Mahi Networks

Mahi Networks was a Petaluma, California-based venture-funded network equipment startup company. It was founded in 1999 and focused on developing carrier-class multiservice switching platforms for metro and regional networks.

Mahi's flagship product, the Mi7 Metro Core Aggregation System, was a 320 Gbit/s multi-service switching system supporting SONET/SDH TDM switching, MPLS/Ethernet switching, and IP routing. Its multi-service capability was achieved using a switching fabric based on the Tiny Tera architecture. ^{[1] [2]}

Technology

Architecture of the Mi7 Metro Core Aggregation System (MCAS), illustrating integration of DS-3, SONET/SDH, and Ethernet layers within a central office.

At the core of Mahi’s product line was the Mi7 Metro Core Aggregation System (MCAS) — a converged platform combining SONET/SDH add/drop multiplexing, Layer 2 Ethernet switching, and a GMPLS-based control plane. The system was designed to simplify metro and regional central office architectures by replacing stacked MSPPs, DSX panels, and manual cross-connects with software-configurable, high-density optical and electrical interconnects.

The Mi7 system integrated multiple subsystems, including:

• Optical Node Interconnection (ONX): Eliminated coax and DS3 cabling, enabling software-controlled cross-connects and reducing points of failure.
• SONET Ring Aggregation (SRA): Consolidated SONET/SDH ADM functionality to reduce space, power, and operational overhead.
• Metro Ethernet Transport (MET): Enabled carrier-class Ethernet services by integrating Layer 1 transport with Layer 2 statistical multiplexing and VLAN processing.
• Automated Transport Network (ATN): Used a GMPLS mesh architecture for automated A-to-Z provisioning across a dynamic, multi-vendor optical topology.

The system supported interface options ranging from DS3 to OC-192 and Gigabit Ethernet, with scalability features like tributary expansion shelves and pay-as-you-grow pricing. Mahi positioned the Mi7 as an enabler for converged service delivery—supporting legacy TDM, IP VPNs, and video over packet—with lower capital and operational costs. ^[3]

Switching Fabric

The Mi7 system’s switching fabric was based on the Tiny Tera architecture, a 320 Gbit/s input-queued packet switch developed at Stanford University. ^[4] The Tiny Tera design used a sliced crossbar architecture with centralized scheduling and high-speed serial links, allowing extremely high throughput using commercially available CMOS technology.

Mahi Networks adapted this architecture to support a combination of TDM (SONET/SDH) and packet (Ethernet/MPLS/IP) services in metro and regional networks. Key features included:

• Input-queued architecture with virtual output queuing to eliminate head-of-line blocking
• A centralized scheduler implementing fast arbitration algorithms such as iSLIP for near-100% throughput
• Use of high-speed chip-to-chip serial links to simplify the switch's physical interconnect and reduce power and board complexity
• Support for multicast scheduling and fanout-splitting, allowing efficient packet duplication across multiple destinations
• A modular, scalable fabric composed of crossbar slices and port processors, enabling pay-as-you-grow deployment

This approach enabled Mahi to build a cost-effective, high-performance switching core suitable for converged transport across telecom central offices.

Acquisition

In 2005, Mahi Networks was acquired by Meriton Networks, a Canadian optical networking company seeking to enhance its product portfolio with metro switching technologies. ^{[5] [6]} Meriton was subsequently acquired by Xtera Communications in 2008, ^{[7] [8]} placing Mahi’s technology in the lineage of metro optical innovations adopted by Tier 1 carriers.

Legacy

Mahi Networks was among the early innovators of packet-optical convergence, with its Mi7 platform targeting challenges in scalability, automation, and service flexibility. Its architecture—focused on collapsing network layers and reducing manual provisioning—foreshadowed broader industry shifts toward software-defined networking (SDN) and carrier-class Ethernet transport in metropolitan networks.

The company was also part of the broader Telecom Valley, a cluster of telecommunications startups and technology firms centered in Petaluma’s Redwood Business Park in Sonoma County, California. Mahi contributed to the area's reputation as a hub of telecom innovation during the late 1990s and early 2000s. ^[9]

Other notable companies that emerged from Telecom Valley include Cerent Corporation, a startup acquired by Cisco Systems in 1999 for $6.9 billion, ^[10] and AFC, a Petaluma-based fiber access company that was sold for $1.9 billion in 2004. ^[11]

References

1. McKeown, Nick; Izzard, Martin; Mekkittikul, Adisak; Ellersick, William; Horowitz, Mark (January–February 1997). "The Tiny Tera: A Packet Switch Core". IEEE Micro. 17 (1): 26–33. doi:10.1109/40.566194.
2. Rust, Chris (April 2, 2003). "Future Opportunity Areas in Optical Networking" (PDF). IEEE INFOCOM 2003 Workshop. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
3. Rust, Chris (April 2, 2003). "Future Opportunity Areas in Optical Networking" (PDF). IEEE INFOCOM 2003 Workshop. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
4. McKeown, Nick; Izzard, Martin; Mekkittikul, Adisak; Ellersick, William; Horowitz, Mark (January–February 1997). "The Tiny Tera: A Packet Switch Core". IEEE Micro. 17 (1): 26–33. doi:10.1109/40.566194.
5. "Meriton completes Mahi acquisition". Lightwave Online. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
6. "Meriton Acquires Mahi". Light Reading. October 6, 2005. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
7. "Xtera buys Meriton Networks". Lightwave Online. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
8. "Xtera acquires Meriton in optical match". FierceTelecom. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
9. Schmitt, Jerry (March 17, 2023). "Turning back the clock to Sonoma County's Telecom Valley, a high-tech hotbed". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
10. "Cisco Systems to Acquire Cerent Corporation and Monterey Networks". Cisco Newsroom. August 26, 1999. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
11. "AFC sold for $1.9 billion". The Press Democrat. July 12, 2004. Retrieved 2025-03-29.