Nortel TN-4XE In-Station Testing.

The In-Station Testing procedure contained within the Nortel Commissioning

Procedure document details path continuity,path protection & equipment protection
tests to be carried out between two interconnected Nortel TN-4XE switches
(dependant on actual cards equipped).
The testing procedures are well detailed but this part of the commissioning is the first
time that a real understanding of KLM notation is required to enable the tests carried
out to be meaningful.
Note the pathways to be tested are set up during the Preliminary Procedures 3.25

SDH Data Rates

Before KLM numbering is explained it is important to understand the basic frame
rates used in SDH as well as the actual make up of a STM-N frame.
The basic SDH signal is called the Synchronous Transport Module (STM). The
primary data rate produced on a SDH network is STM-1. This runs at a rate of
155.52Mbit/s. Interleaving the lower rate STM signals allows higher level STM-4,
STM-16 and STM-64 data rates to be achieved at 4,16 & 64 times the STM-1
rate.Byte-interleaving the payloads from a number N of STM1, forms higher levels
of the synchronous hierarchy. The process of creating higher layer data rates from
lower ones also require that a transport overhead of size N times that of an STM1 is
added containing new management data and pointer values as appropriate. STMs
created in this way range upwards from STM1 at 155.52 Mbps by integer multiples
of four with no theoretical limit.
The SDH data rates applicable to the appropriate STMs, as obtained by reference 1, 2
& 3, are approx. These are shown in the table below:
STM Standard

Bit Rate

STM-1

155 Mbits/s

STM-4

622 Mbits/s

STM-16

2.5 GMbits/s

STM-64

10 Gbits/s

To understand the amount of traffic each STM layer can handle, an example is
detailed below using 2.048Mbit channels carrying PCM- 30 voice channels as the
input traffic.

Each STM-1 can handle 63 * 2.048Mbit/s data signals (1,890 voice channels)
Each STM-4 can handle 252 * 2.048Mbit/s data signals (7,560 voice channels)
Each STM-16 can handle 1008 * 2.048Mbit/s data signals (30,240 voice
channels)
Each STM-64 can handle 4032 * 2.048Mbit/s data signals (120,960 voice
channels)

Low order user inputs are mapped into low order STM-1 containers that can be in turn
byte interleaved into higher order STM containers to obtain the desired transmission
capacity and data rates.
SDH is designed to transport isochronous traffic channels and is based on a hierarchy
of continuously repeating fixed length frames. It has been designed to preserve
smooth interworking with existing PDH networks and has adopted a synchronous
frame structure that preserves the byte boundaries within the various traffic bit
streams. How it achieves this is through the use of Virtual Containers (VCs),
Tributary Units (TUs), Tributary Unit Groups (TUGs) & Authentication Unit Groups
(AUGs).
To understand how this is achieved it is important to understand the basic frame
structure of an SDH frame. The Basic SDH Frame Structure Diagram below details
this.

It should be noted that in reality the 81 bytes comprising the Section Overhead (SOH)
are not one continuous block but are spread out throughout the Information Payload
(IP). Also each byte within the payload represents one 64kbit/s channel.
The SDH frame structure is tailor maid to transport 64kbits/s data channels, the
backbone of PDH networks. Other higher data rate channels, which are a multiple of
64kbits/s, can also be easily accommodated such as data rates of 2.048Mbit/s, 34
Mbit/s and 140Mbit/s as used within UK PDH networks. It can also support their
North American counterparts 1.5 Mbit/s, 6 Mbit/s and 45 Mbit/s. Table 1.1 indicates
the worldwide PDH data rates that SDH must be able to support.

The way various PDH data circuits are transported over SDH is to enable each type of
circuit to be mapped into a synchronous container. In reality there are only a few types
of container presently required. These container types are classed as follows:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

C-4 used to map 140 Mbit/s data circuits.

C-3 used to map 45 & 34 Mbit/s data circuits.
C-2 used to map 2 Mbit/s data circuits.
C11 used to map 1.5 2 Mbit/s data circuits.

Each of these containers goes through several stages of multiplexing to enable them to
become part of one overall type of frame structure. This overall frame structure is
known as an STM frame. The basic STM frame on which all other STM frame
structures are based within SDH is the STM-1.
Below is a diagrammatic representation of the various levels of multiplexing that a
container must go through to be mapped within an STM-N frame. This diagram is a
standard diagram often used to represent SDH container levels.

In the multiplexing process, payloads are layered into lower-order and higher-order
virtual containers, each including a range of overhead functions for management and
error monitoring. Transmission is then supported by the attachment of further layers
of overheads. This layering of functions in SDH, both for traffic and management,
suits the layered concept of a service-based network better than the transmissionoriented PDH standards.
To illustrate how this multiplexing structure works let us examine how a 2.048Mbit/s
circuit is mapped into a STM-1 frame. The basic flow process for this is as follows:
2.048Mbit/s Into C-12 Into VC-12 Into TU-12 Into TUG-2 Into TUG-3 Into VC-4
Into AU-4 Into AUG Into STM-1 Frame.
2.048Mbit/s Into C-12
The first stage of the multiplexing process is to split the incoming data into separate
blocks known containers as shown below. In the case of a 2.048Mbit/s circuit this
process outputs C-12 containers.

C-12 Into VC-12

The next stage of the multiplexing process is to convert the container C-12 into a
Virtual Container (VC). Adding Path Overhead (POH) information to the front of the
container does this. This part of the process is known as mapping the container into a
VC.

The POH in this case is one byte and is known as a V5 byte.

The POH bytes added to the container stay with it and remain completely unchanged
until it arrives at its final destination i.e. exits the SDH network. The addition of the
VC POH allows a network provider to monitor several parameters. Most importantly
it can monitor the transmission error rate of the VC across the SDH network. The
points where a data circuit enters/exits the SDH network are known as path
termination points (PTP) and the route it takes between these points is known as the
path. This level of POH can only indicate the amount of errors caused by transmission
across the path and not the source of the errors.
It should be noted that VCs are created at several levels within the SDH multiplexing
hierarchy. This VC hierarchy ends when a VC is loaded into the payload area of a
STM frame. A VC is never presented directly to the outside world but only exists
within an SDH piece of equipment or STM signals i.e. there are no VC interfaces
within a SDH network.
VC-12 Into TU-12
A SDH network may have many input circuits running at various data rates. These
inputs are required to be multiplexed together to form a STM frame. However, none
of these circuits are synchronised together and therefore cannot be held in rigid
sychronisation within the STM frame. The problem faced when designing a SDH
network was how to synchronously multiplex and demultiplex many individual VCs,
which because they have been created in disparate parts of the same, or even different
SDH networks, may have slightly different short term bit rates.
The solution used by SDH is to assign pointers to each individual VC. When a VC is
multiplexed into a larger VC its phase offset in bytes can be identified relative to a
reference point in the larger VC. The addition of this pointer to a VC at this stage
creates a Tributary Unit (TU). In this case it would form a TU-12.
The addition of the pointer at this stage is known as aligning.

The incoming data circuit has now been processed to a stage that can now be
multiplexed within the SDH network.
TU-12 Into TUG-2
A TU-12 can now be multiplexed into a Tributary Unit Group (TUG) with other TUs.
The SDH Multiplex Structure Diagram shows that up to three TU-12s or four TU-11s
can be multiplexed into a TU-12. In actuality a mixture of TU-11 & 12s can be
multiplexed together to maximise the TUG-2 capacity. It should be noted that a
combination of TU types (i.e. TU-11 & 12) may be multiplexed together to form the
TUG-2.
TUG-2 Into TUG-3
For the purposes of this example we are assuming that the TU-2 is further multiplexed
to form a TUG-3. This is only one way that the TUG-2 could have been forwarded on
to form part of the STM frame. It could have had more POH bytes added to it to form
a VC-3.
A process of Byte Interleaving achieves multiplexing of TUs into TUGs, or TUGs into
larger TUGs. Byte interleaving is illustrated below.

TUG-3 Into VC-4

In our example the TUG-3 would then have another lot of POH data added to it to
form a VC-4 container.
VC-4 Into AU-4
Another pointer is added to the VC-4 to form an Administrative Unit (AU). Again this
allows the VC-4 to vary in respect to the STM by tracking this pointer.
AU-4 Into AUG
Further overheads are added to the AU-4 to form an Administrative Unit Group
(AUG). Also up to three AU-3s can be multiplexed together to form an AUG. The
AUG has a fixed position within the STM-1 frame.
AUG Into STM-1 FRAME

Finally further overhead bytes are added to the AUG to form a Synchronous Transport
Module or STM-1. This is the fundamental transmission block within a SDH network.
The data rate of an STM-1 frame is 155.52Mbit/s. 140Mbit/s of this is the original
circuit information with the other 11% of transmitted data comprising the overheads
added.
The STM also has to be able to deal with slight asynchonism caused when a network
element loads a VC that it did not create into a STM. Pointers are again used as is
detailed by the TUG-3 VC-4 example. One important difference to note is that
where a VC-4 frame slips in time relative to the STM SOH, correction is achieved by
3 bytes at a time rather than the single byte change.

Question?
During commissioning one of the pathways to be tested was set up with a connection
command
c s14-8 s6-1-j4-k271 & s8-1-j4--k271.
What does it mean?
If you cant answer now dont worry. Hopefully you will be able to figure it out after
KLM notation is explained.
The answer to the question is given at the end of the explanation.

KLM Numbering
Within a SDH network it is important to be able to assign channels to different
pathways to allow correct routing of information.
This means that an engineer must be able to identify specific channels at any network
node.
For example a 2.048Mbit/s tributary may be required to be outputted on a SDH
aggregate from a Nortel TN- 4XE switch.
The way a channel is identified at a node is by the use of KLM notation system.
This system allows for the identification of the associated interface card slot within
the equipment, the STM and the applicable TUGs/TUs within that STM.
The notation details the following information:

 Associated card slot within equipment.

Associated port on card.
Associated STM frame.
Associated TUG3 within STM frame.
AssociatedTUG2 within TUG3.
Associated TU within TUG2.
click on to view full size image(34K).

KLM Notation Example Diagram.

The KLM Notation Example Diagram, has been provided to help explain how KLM
notation,
along with KLM Numbering Chart helps explain the KLM numbering associated with
TU-12s,
TUG-2s & TUG-3s contained within an STM-1 frame.

KLM Numbering Chart (TU-12, TUG-2 & TUG-3s.

click on to view full size image(70K).

In the example being used a STM-1 tributary is being connected to port 1 of a 2 port
STM-1 tributary card (KLM Notation Example Diagram).
The actual channel that we are concerned with within the STM-1 frame is channel 49.
The first part of the notation to be used must indicate the slot number of the tributary
card.
KLM Notation Example Diagram illustrates that the STM-1 tributary is being
connected to a card in slot 1 of the shelf.
It can also be seen that it is connected to port 1.
The notation used to indicate this would be S1-1.
Note: if port 2 was being used it would be S1-2.

The next part of the notation indicates the STM frame associated J1 byte.
As this is a single STM-1 frame there is only a single J1 byte.
Therefore the notation used would be J1.
Note: If this was a STM-4 frame and we where interested in the second STM-1 frame
held within it the notation would be J2 etc.
The final part of the notation is to indicate the TU-12, TUG-2 and TUG-3 associated
with channel 49.
From the KLM Numbering Chart it can be seen that TUG-3 #3 is the one that is
associated with Channel 48.
Also it can be seen that the TUG-2 associated with TUG-3 #3 that will carry this
channels will be TUG-2 #2. Finally it can be seen that the TU-12 container that would
be used to contain this channel within the TUG-2 #2 frame would be TU-12 #3.
Therefore, as the notation lists the TUG-3 followed by the TUG-2 and finally by the
TU-12 the notation in this case would be 323.
This means that the full notation string to indicate channel 48 of the STM-1 frame
connected to port 1 of a card in shelf 1 of a 4XE would be S1-1-J1-323
Although this notation looks relatively complex once the fundamental rules are
grasped it becomes reasonably easy to implement.
REMEMBER THE NOTATION LISTS THE TUG-3
FOLLOWED BY TUG-2 AND FINNALLY THE TU-12.

Question Revisited.
You should now be able to understand that the connection command c
s14-8 s6-1-j4-k271 & s8-1-j4--k271 provided the following:
. s14-15 s6-1 - Connected traffic on port 15 of the card in slot 14
(2Mbit Trib Card)
to port 1 of the card in slot 6 (4XE Aggregate A)
. j4 This assigned the traffic from Port 15 of the 2 Mbit Trib Card
to the fourth STM-1 frame within the outgoing STM-4 frame.

. k271 This assigned the traffic to TUG-12 #1 within TUG-2 #7,

in turn within TUG-3 #2 of this STM-1 frame.
This corresponds to Channel 40 of the 63 Channels within this frame.
. s8-1-j4--k271 this provided path protection on the Aggregate B card
using the 4th STM frame , Channel 40.