AND FibreManagement

Document name: AND FibreManagement 2013-V02-02.docx

This document contains 14 pages

Last modified: Friday, 6 December 2013 by Diarmuid Kelly

© 2013 AND Solution, Munich, Germany

All rights reserved

AND® is a registered trademark

AND Solution GmbH

Karl-Schmid-Strasse 14
81829 Munich, Germany

Tel. +49 (89) 743533-0

Fax. +49 (89) 743533-999

info@and-solution.com
www.and-solution.com

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Contents

Contents 3
1 Introduction 4
2 Dynamic Network Documentation 5
3 AND Fibre Management Overview 6
3.1 Defining components 6
3.2 All access technologies considered 6

4 Working with fibre 7

4.1 Equipment placement and fibre routing 7
4.2 Splicing 7
4.3 Optical power calculation 8
4.4 Dynamic labelling 8
4.5 Managing leased lines 8
4.6 Microducts 9
4.7 Automatic ONU/ONT generation 9
4.8 Checking your network design 9
4.9 Assisting network build & maintenance 10
4.10 Free fibres in a route 10
4.11 Signal tracing 10
4.12 Outage support 11
4.13 Network logic representation 11

5 Working with microducts in AND 12

5.1 Laying microducts 12
5.2 Blowing in the fibre 13
5.3 In-building microducts 14

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AND® © 2013 AND Solution GmbH
1 Introduction
AND FibreCo is a highly intuitive easy-to-learn, easy-to-use integrated and scalable
solution for the complete life-cycle of all types of access networks including FTTH, FTTx,
RFoG and HFC. The integrated network modelling enables the user to accurately plan,
engineer, verify as well as document network builds, upgrades and extensions.
Components are documented in the AND libraries according to their technical specifi-
cations. When designing your network you go to your library and select the component
you require and drop this onto the network. There are of course compatibility checks,
e.g. so you don’t lay the incorrect cable.
This drag & drop approach allows you to quickly draw you network. With integrated
engineering functions you are also able to calculate the optical power and RF levels as
you draw. Furthermore, at any stage you can verify your design work. With a mouse
click you also get the bill of materials as well as estimated manpower costs and effort.
One of the essential requirements for an access solution is the ability to be able to
efficiently design & document right into the apartment/home and for offices right to the
desk. Our many years of experience with the demands of Deutsche Telekom/Kabel
Deutschland with regards in-house networks – approx. 25 million connections of
experience - makes our solution second to none. As a result, what would normally take
several hours using a standard xCAD tool, takes a matter of minutes in AND.
Even networks of mixed architecture, e.g. RFoG/HFC or FTTx are managed as a single
network with the signal carried transparently through the network to the subscriber.
For HFC/RFoG networks AND also supports CMTS in so not only can you model the signal
levels at the outlet arriving for each frequency but you also get the CMTS port data.
When it comes to microducts you'll be amazed how effortlessly and quickly they can be
designed with AND; even in-house microducts are supported. Blowing in the fibre is also
very simple to do, plus you also automatically get the optical calculations.
When you have finished your designing task you can then check the viability of your
work. AND will locate design issues, e.g. optical power or RF target levels not achieved,
insufficient powering, open pins, etc.
As a result of a single solution policy all operators deploy the same solution with
customisation made external to the core software using metadata.

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2 Dynamic Network Documentation
The heart and soul of the AND SystemSolution is the actual network plans and
documentation with which the user has available detailed information about all the
components deployed in the network, their settings, expected status and performance,
geo-reference and address. In other words, AND is living documentation providing the
user with an accurate network simulation for the complete access network.
Access networks are rarely static and to achieve quality data a system is required that
can deal with the fluctuating nature of the network. The dynamic nature of the AND
network documentation system enables it to consider all modifications to the existing
network, regardless of whether it involves:
 General maintenance work to replace components
 Connection of additional buildings to the network
 Evolution and upgrading of a network section
Data can be instantaneously updated to reflect the current network calculations. Dialog
boxes, which may be customized to requirements, present the latest calculated data.
The entire process is fully interactive as AND allows the documentation, design and
calculation tasks to be carried out simultaneously; there is no need for separate tools and
modules.
As well as ensuring data integrity this also contributes considerably to greater efficiency
throughout the work force.

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3 AND Fibre Management Overview
AND enables the user to design and document fibre network architectures in a highly
visible, intuitive and efficient manner.
It is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use integrated and scalable solution for the complete
life-cycle of the network.
 Drag & drop components on to map or schematic diagram.
 Splice what you want to splice, cut what you want to cut
 Check optical power budget anywhere on the network
 Trace signals at a key-stroke
 Generate splice reports where and when you want them
 Discover alternative routes between two points for x number of free fibres
 Find fibre breakage using OTDR readings
 Verify your network design before issuing the construction orders;
verify your build before paying your contractors

3.1 Defining components

Network components such as fibre cables, optical transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, and
termination devices are pre-defined in the AND libraries using vendor specifications to
enable the planner to accurately model
the network.
These can also include pricing and install-
ation effort so that when the bill of
material is generated the planner not only
has an overview of the material costs but
also the costs and time-to-complete for
the realization of the project.
Symbols to represent the components can
be customized as required.
Through the use of templates conformity within the workforce can be ensured.

3.2 All access technologies considered

AND supports all fixed lined access technologies i.e. fibre, coax as well as copper access,
in a single client.
Regardless of whether FTTH or FTTx + switched Ethernet/Cat5, DSL or coax is required
AND is the optimal solution with both routing and signal tracing functionality available.
Furthermore, AND treats the network as
a single unit. For FTTx networks this means from
the Central Office into the apartment or to the desk;
for HFC networks from the headend to the outlet.
For example with RFoG the RF signal is carried
transparently through the fibre network to the coax
section at the customer site where we get the
simulated RF levels for the complete spectrum.
As AND also supports the CMTS not only can you model the RF signal levels at the outlet
arriving for each frequency but you can also get the CMTS port information.

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4 Working with fibre
4.1 Equipment placement and fibre routing
Equipment such as enclosures, street cabinets and termination devices can be dragged
from the libraries and dropped on to the network plan as required.
To ensure clarity
AND uses symbols to
represent the often complex
equipment. Behind these
symbols are interconnecting
worksheets that contain
detailed information such as
the splice and patch plans.
With the equipment now in
place, select a fibre cable from
the library and drop it onto
your map to draw along the
desired route.
The cable can be placed into an existing trench or this can be done at a later date.

4.2 Splicing
In AND splicing & patching is child’s play.
To splice cables simply pull cable A to cable B and that’s all there is to it.
If you require bundles then fan open cables to join bundles in the same intuitive manner.
Individual fibres can be spliced by fanning open the required bundles.
User-definable colour coding keeps everything transparent
providing the field technical with the information he requires
in a highly visible manner.
The cable, bundle or fibre status can be changed, e.g. from
planned to built, for the entire route at a keystroke.

A splice report containing the splicing information at a location can

be generated using the graphic logic. The resulting table shows
the origins and destinations of the individual fibres as well as their
status.

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4.3 Optical power calculation
Being able to determine the optical power and that the level at the receivers is within the
budget is essential for the optimal design of your network.
AND allows you to calculate optical power anywhere on the network, both upstream and
downstream, and for all wave lengths; simply click on a pin to get an immediate result.
It is important to note that DWDM and CWDM are fully supported.

4.4 Dynamic labelling

AND improves the visibility of information though the inclusion of a simple label providing
the user with invaluable data. This could be at the splice panel where the user can see
where the fibre has originated from and where it is heading next.
As AND routes information these labels are automatically updated on any change,
e.g. at the patch panel.
This contributes significantly to design as well
as build and maintenance productivity ensuring
the user is provided with valuable updated
information immediately.
AND’s ability to route data (a unique feature itself) not only prevents redundancy as data
doesn’t have to be entered and stored in several places, but also allows queries
anywhere on the network, e.g. optical and RF levels.

4.5 Managing leased lines

AND doesn’t allow leased fibre to cause problems
in network design and documentation just
because one’s own fibre disappears into a black
hole to emerge at a later position in the map.
With the AND dark fibre function it is possible to
enter attenuation data for each wavelength so
that the calculations work correctly.
Furthermore, network information entered prior
to entering the leased lines is available
afterwards.

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4.6 Microducts
AND ensures an efficient and accurate design of microducts. Dragging pre-defined
microduct components from the libraries they can be quickly placed on the map.
Both automatic and manual allocation of sub-ducts to customer transfer points are
possible. At the street cabinet a free fibre can be quickly connected to the sub-duct
(address is visible) emulating blowing in of the fibre. The length of the fibre and optical
budget calculations are available.
If address information is available at the subscriber location then this data is then
automatically entered into the expander (see below).

4.7 Automatic ONU/ONT generation

Using the AND HotSpot feature it is possible to generate objects such as ONUs and ONTs
at HotSpot positions.
The user can import a list of addresses and, in one simple step, generate house
connections for all of them.
Together with for example the AND microduct feature it is possible to connect large
numbers of subscribers in a matter of minutes.

4.8 Checking your network design

Before setting out to build to design it’s never a bad idea to actually verify the viability
of the design. This way design errors that quite often result in costly modifications
at a later date, can be avoided.
To assist the verification process AND provides the network check function that not only
checks the optical budget but also open pins, short circuits, redundant routes and remote
powering (via coaxial cable).

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4.9 Assisting network build & maintenance
AND provides clear and concise information for the initial build as well as later for
updates and maintenance.
Ownership of cables and fibres as well as the different services on fibres or routes can be
allocated. As priorities can be awarded on a fibre-basis this provides vital information for
service engineers when it comes to the splicing order especially in the case of breakages.

A list of all enclosures of a given route from start to termination can be generated.
For each enclosure the splice/patch type, bundle and fibre number are shown.
The user can generate a report including all the worksheets of the route.

4.10 Free fibres in a route

It’s also easy to find and compare different routes between two points in the network
where a fixed number of free fibres is required.
The available routes are listed in order of their total length.
Select a route from the aforementioned list to show its path in the AND drawing.
Once you’ve selected your chosen route you can now let AND automatically build the
route for you.

4.11 Signal tracing

A very useful function for the network engineer is the ability to trace a fibre signal
through enclosures and splice boxes for the complete network or sections of it; the signal
path is shown using colour-coding. Address and rack positions are presented in a table.

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4.12 Outage support
AND provides effective assistance when it comes to restoring service after an outage.
Various viewers are the service technician’s disposal including offline GIS documentation
support, a web-based viewer as well as the means of generating on-the-fly
documentation (PDF) via WMS using current location coordinates.
AND allows you to quickly and efficiently locate a fibre breakage
using OTDR data. After entering the measured distance and with
the fibre drill (helix factor) taken into consideration the user
is immediately brought to the location in the network
documentation. The affected fibre blinks and a symbol shows
the breakage position.
The technician can quickly determine the splicing order
by checking the list of priorities.
Defective fibres can be easily marked (X) for later identification.
The network check function verifies if there is a signal on a
defective fibre and issues a corresponding warning.

4.13 Network logic representation

The Project NIS (Network Information System) feature enables the user to visualize the
geo-schematic network in a clear and logical manner. It incorporates tracing
functionality allowing for signal tracing in both directions.
Using the available geographical network information the
NIS function generates a logical diagram, which can display
the current network connections (parent-child relationships
in both directions) such as splitter cascades, ONTs, etc.
As a result there is no redundant data for schematic
documentation as the topological schematic structure can be
generated at any time.
The user can generate the network logic on the fly and by
clicking on an element jump to the corresponding AND documentation.
.

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5 Working with microducts in AND
Microduct technology is playing an increasingly important role for optical fibre networks
all around the world. AND provides functions to support the efficient and accurate design
of microducts for your fibre network for both OSP and in-building networks.
Using the vendor’s specifications the microducts are defined as components in the
AND libraries with all sizes and flavours taken into consideration.
Colour coding for the individual tubes or sub-ducts allows the user to model the actual
deployment of the microducts in the network – this can of course be adapted as required.

5.1 Laying microducts

Laying microducts is both an efficient and intuitive process.
Start by inserting an ONT for each
potential customer building.
Next, select the required microduct
type from the component library and
drop it onto the network, e.g. close
to the street cabinet.
Should you decide that you need a
different package the offered
dropdown list can help you make an
immediate swap-out.
Using your mouse simply draw the
microduct along the desired path.
The sub-ducts can then be automatically allocated to the ONTs; you can enter a rule for
the connection order. Manual allocation is also possible.
If the path of the sub-duct needs to be altered this can be easily done.
As in reality each microduct is colour coded providing
clear instructions for network engineers when they go
about installing the microducts. Should a change be
necessary in either the design or documentation then
this can be done manually.
AND also supports the two-ended microduct
approach, whereby after bringing a tube to a building
the remainder of the tube can be used from the other
direction.

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5.2 Blowing in the fibre
Blowing in fibre in AND is as straight forward as in real life.
Go to the street cabinet and you will see that each sub-duct in the microduct expander
has been automatically allocated with the appropriate target address by AND.
Note: sub-ducts that are not connected are denoted at the expander by a circular end.
Select a free fibre or fibres and drag them to the sub-duct with the required target
address. The actual connection of the fibre to the sub-duct simulates the blowing
of the fibre. AND automatically calculates the length as well as the optical power levels.
A very useful function enables the user to jump between the blow-in point and the
corresponding ONT.

Splitting a microduct can be easily done. Just fan out the microduct bands and connect
the different sub-ducts. AND routes automatically through this split-point.

Within a split-point the connected sub-

ducts are coloured automatically.

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5.3 In-building microducts
For green field developments in-building microducts are now regularly being considered
as they offer flexibility for future network evolution. Even in brown field situations,
where room is available, microducts are being considered.
AND masters planning and documentation of the in-building microduct infrastructure just
as with the OSP.
Normally, the design including patch panels, fibre blow-in, technical verification and Bill
of Quantity generation is finished in a matter of minutes. Even tower blocks and
expansive buildings such as hospitals can be completed in a fraction of the time
compared with tradition xCAD approaches.

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