National Communications System

(NCS)

Fiber Optic Networks

Dave Hotz
Director of Systems Installation and
Transmission Support
Jim Chaney
Director of Field Operations Central
and West
Global Crossing

Fiber Cable

Fiber Has More Capacity

This single fiber

can carry more
communications
than the giant
copper cable!

Fiber Optic Cable

Protects the fibers
wherever they are
installed
May have 1 to over
1000 fibers

Fiber Optic Connectors

Terminates the fibers
Connects to other fibers or
transmission equipment

Fiber Optic Communications

Applications include

Telephones
Internet
LANs - local area networks
CATV - for video, voice and Internet connections
Utilities - management of power grid
Security - closed-circuit TV and intrusion sensors
Military - everywhere!

What Is Fiber Optics ?

Transmitting
communications
signals over hair thin
strands of glass or
plastic
Not a "new"
technology
Concept a century old
Used commercially for
last 25 years

Why Use Fiber Optics?

Economics
Speed
Distance
Weight/size
Freedom from interference
Electrical isolation
Security

Fiber Optic Applications

Fiber is already used in:
> 90% of all long distance telephony
> 50% of all local telephony
Most CATV networks
Most LAN (computer network) backbones
Many video surveillance links

Fiber Optic Applications

Fiber is the least expensive, most reliable
method for high speed and/or long distance
communications
While we already transmit signals at Gigabits
per second speeds, we have only started to
utilize the potential bandwidth of fiber

Fiber Technology

Fiber Technology

Fiber Optic Data Links

Light Used In Fiber Optics

Fiber optic systems transmit using
infrared light, invisible to the human
eye, because it goes further in the
optical fiber at those wavelengths

Wavelength-Division
Multiplexing

Fiber Optic Applications

Outside Plant vs. Premises Installations

Fiber Optic Installation - Outside

Plant

Fiber Optic Installation

-Premises

SONET

What is SONET?

Synchronous Optical Network standard

Digital
Tributaries

SONET
Network
Element

SONET
Network
Element

Digital
Tributaries

Defines a digital hierarchy of synchronous signals

Maps asynchronous signals (DS1, DS3) to synchronous format
Defines electrical and optical connections between equipment
Allows for interconnection of different vendors equipment
Provides overhead channels for interoffice OAM&P

Digital Signal Hierarchies

Most Common Rates
DS-0
(64 Kb/s)

DS-1
(1.544 Mb/s)

DS-3

28

Asynchronous

[Non-Standardized]

(45 Mb/s)

84

336

1344

Capacity
(DS-1 Equiv)

VT1.5

STS-1

STS-3

STS-12

STS-48

(1.7 Mb/s)

(52 Mb/s)

(156 Mb/s)

(622 Mb/s)

(2500 Mb/s)

SONET

VC-11

VC-3

STM-1

STM-4

STM-16

SDH

DS:
Digital Signal
SONET: Synchronous Optical NETwork (US)
SDH:
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (ITU)
STS:
Synchronous Transport Signal
STM: Synchronous Transfer Mode
VC:
Virtual Container
VT:
Virtual Tributary

SONET Rates

Level

Optical
Designation

Bit Rate
(Mb/s)

STS-1

OC-1

51.840

STS-3

OC-3

155.520

STS-12

OC-12

622.080

STS-48

OC-48

2,488.320

STS-192

OC-192

9,953.280

STS
OC

= SYNCHRONOUS TRANSPORT SIGNAL

= OPTICAL CARRIER
(..result of a direct optical conversions of the STS after
synchronous scrambling - ANSI)

SONET Network Layers

Services
DS3, DS1, etc

Path

Line

Section

Map Services & POH Into SPE

Path Protection/Restoration
Other Path OA&M Functions

Path

Combine SPE & LOH

Sync & Mux For Path Layer
Line Protection/Restoration
Other Line OA&M Functions

Section

Add SOH & Create STS Signal

Framing, Scrambling
Section OA&M Functions

Physical E/O Conversion

(Photonic) Line Code

Physical Signal
[No additional overhead]

Line

Line

DS3
etc

MUX

LTE

Section

Regen

Section

Regen

SONET ADM

Section

LTE

LTE

MUX

DS3
etc

Functional Description of SONET

Layers
Function
Path Layer

Line Layer

Section
Layer
Photonic
Layer

Information
Payload

Path
OH
Line
OH
Section
OH

E/O Conversion
Transmission over OC-N

Payload Mapping
Error Monitoring
Synchronization
Multiplexing
Error Monitoring
Line Maintenance
Protection Switch
Order Wire
Framing
Scrambling
Error Monitoring
Section Maintenance
Orderwire
E/O Conversion
Pulse Shaping
Power Level
Wavelength

OH: Overhead

SONET Configurations

Generic SONET Network

Elements
STS-N

o
STS-N
o
Ports
o

STS-N

STS-M
Fabric
(M<N)

STS-N

o
o
o

STS-M
Fabric
(M<N)

o
o
o

o
o
o

o
o
o

STS-N
Ports

STS-M
Ports

STS-M
Ports

STS-M
Ports

M:N
Digital Cross-Connect System
(DCS)

M:N
Add/Drop
Multiplexer
(ADM)

M:N
Multiplexer
(aka End Terminal)

Key SONET Configurations

All DS3s All DS3s

48 W

Point
To
Point

48 W

ET

ET
DCS
III

48 P

ET

ET

48 P

ET

ET

ADM

ADM
48 P

48 P

DACS
III

ADM

Compatible With OLS

2 Nodes Per System
All T3s Use DACS III
1x1 Protection Switching

48 W

48 W

ADM

ET

ET

ADM

ADM

Compatible With OLS

2 To 16 Nodes
Add/Drop Multiplexing
(Tributary Add/Drop) Only DS3s Changing Routes Or
Terminating Use DACS III

1x1 Protection Switching

ET: End Terminal
ADM: Add/Drop Multiplexer

Key SONET Configurations

Linear Office Sequences

Point
To
Point

III

ET

ET

III

ET

ET

III

ET

ooo

ET

III

ET

ET

III

ET

ET

III

N Offices
2 End Offices
N-2 Interior Offices

Linear
Add/Drop
(Open Ring)

III

ET

ADM

ADM

ooo

ADM

ADM

ET

III

Key SONET Configurations

W

Point
To
Point

ET

ET

DACS
III

ET

ET

Linear
Add/Drop
(Open Ring)

P
w

DACS
III

ET

DACS
III

ET

ADM
P

III

MESH
RING

ADM

ADM

III

ADM
P

III

III
III

III

Closed
Ring

ADM

ADM
W

ET: End Terminal

ADM: Add/Drop Multiplexer

Compatible With OLS

2 Nodes Per System
1x1 Protection Switching,
DACS III - Based Restoration

Compatible With OLS

2 To 16 Nodes - End Terminals At Ends,
ADMs Elsewhere
Add/Drop Multiplexing
(Tributary Add/Drop)
1x1 Protection Switching,
DACS III-Based Restoration At Ends
& Add/Drop Points Only

P
W

Compatible With OLS

2 To 16 Nodes
Add/Drop Multiplexing
(Tributary Add/Drop)
1x1 Protection Switching
Ring Loopback Protection Switching
Must Be Of Uniform Size Around
Entire Loop

Explanation of Wavelength
Division Multiplexing (WDM)
Conventional System
Only 1 signal
Wavelength

WDM System
Multiple Signal
Wavelengths

Transmission capacity per fiber is multiplied by the number of Signal Wavelengths

Technological Difficulties
- Signal multiplex/demultiplex
- Optical amplifier bandwidth limitation
- Inter-channel interaction due to optical fiber non-linearity
(four wave mixing and cross-phase modulation)

To get more information on a

single fiber
Use more wavelengths (DWDM)
Power (dBm)

-10

-20

-30

1570

1580

1590

W a v el e n gt h ( n m )

1600

SONET Network Management

Definition of a Ring
A Ring is a collection of nodes (NE1, NE2, .)
forming a closed loop.
Each node is connected to two adjacent nodes
via
a duplex communications facility.
A SONET Ring will provide:
Redundant Bandwidth
Redundant Network Equipment
or both

SONET Ring APS

(Automatic Protection Switching)

Uni-directional Vs. Bi-directional Rings

Two-Fiber Vs. Four Fiber Rings
Ring Switching Vs. Span Switching

Applications of:
Bi-directional Line Switched Ring (BLSR)
Uni-directional Path Switched Ring (UPSR)

Ring Classification

A Unidirectional Line Switched Ring (ULSR)

A Bidirectional Line Switched Ring (BLSR)
A Unidirectional Path Switched Ring (UPSR)
A Bidirectional Path Switched Ring (BPSR)

Any of the above type can be a two-fiber or a four fiber ring.

Therefore, for all practical applications, SONET/SDH standards
provide eight types of ring for network node interconnections

2 Fiber
Unidirectional Vs. Bidirectional Rings

1W&P

1W
A

5W&P

5P
8P

4W

AB:1
B A : 2 3 4

6P

2W

AB: 1

B A: 5

7P
D

3W
Unidirectional Ring
Working Traffic flows in Clockwise Direction
CCW Direction is reserved for Protection

3
Bidirectional Ring
Shortest distance available for traffic
of Bandwidth is reserved for Protection

Two-Fiber Vs. Four-Fiber Rings

A

Working 1

Working 1

Protection 2

Protection 1

Working 2

Working 2

Protection 1

A - Two-Fiber Ring/Span

Protection 2

B - Four-Fiber Ring/Span

Ring Switching 2-Fiber Ring

Route before PS (Protection Switching)

50%
Failure

50%

50% - original
+
50% - additional

A: Ring Switching: Two-fiber ring

50% - original
+
50% - additional

Ring Switching 4-Fiber Ring

Route before PS

B: Ring Switching: Four-fiber ring

Span Switching - 4-fiber Rings

Only
Route before PS

Route before PS
A

B: Ring Switching: Four-fiber ring

Route after PS

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

No Failures
w
B
W

C
P

Bidirectional
Traffic

Unidirectional
Traffic

D
P

P
w

P
F

E
w
Original Circuit

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

Span Switch
W
B
w

C
P

D
P

P
w

P
F

E
Original Circuit
Protection Switch

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

Ring Switch
W
B
W

C
P

D
P

P
W

X
w

E
Original
Circuit
Ring Switch

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

Ring Switch - Node Failure
W
B
W

C
P

D
P

P
P
F

Original Circuit
Ring Switch

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

No Failures
W
B
W

C
P

D
P

P
W

P
F

E
W

Original Circuits (Both Slot 2)

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

Need For Squelching

B
W

C
P

Requires Sharing
of State Information
Significant Software
Complexity

D
P

P
F

Original Circuits (Both Slot 2)

Bi-directional Line Switched Ring

Double Ring Failure (No Recovery)
W
B
W

XP

C
W

D
P

P
W

E
Original Circuit
Ring Switch

SONET Rings will fail -The question is When?

Initial estimates of DWDM hardware show that it is 8 times more

reliable than WDM equipment
POEs not included

Ring reliability is dependent upon ring mileage

Ring sizes vary from 200 miles to 2800 miles

Ring Failures:
Given 100, 1000-mile perimeter rings:
Current optimistic estimation is 1 network ring failure every 5 yrs
PCIs not included
Most probable cause of a complete ring failure is an equipment failure
and a fiber cut

Physical diversity violations in some rings ( single-pt-of-failure)

Ring Interworking
Interconnect Problem (No Recovery)
W

D
D

P
P

Ring
1

Ring
2

P
P

C
W

Office X

W
E
Original Circuit
Failure

Dual Ring Interworking

(Unidirectional A => Z Circuit)
No Failure
W

D
P

Ring
2

Ring
1

P
P

v
v

SS

Office X

Office Y

P
A

Original Circuit
Secondary (Inactive)

Dual Ring Interworking

(Unidirectional A => Z Circuit)
ADM Failure
W

B
W

P
P

P
P

W
C

Ring
2

P
P
W

SS

Office X

Office Y

Ring
1

Original Circuit
Secondary Circuit
Ring Switch

Dual Ring Interworking

(Unidirectional A => Z Circuit)
Office Or Double ADM Failure
W

B
W

D
P
Office Y

Ring
1

P
P

XX

Ring
2

Z
P

SS

C
W

Office X

E
W

Original Circuit
Secondary Circuit
Ring Switch

Other Types Of SONET Self-Healing Rings

(2-Fiber Unidirectional Line-Switched Ring)

Service
A=>Z

ADM
ADM
AA

A=>Z

Protection

ADM
ADM

Protection

ADM
ADM
Z=>A

Service

Notes: Each Link Is Just 1 (1-Way) Fiber

Transmission Directions Routed Differently

Service

Service

Protection

Protection

Z=>A

A=>Z

ADM
ADM
ZZ

Z=>A

Other Types Of SONET Self-Healing Rings

(2-Fiber Unidirectional Line-Switched Ring)

Service

ADM
ADM
AA

Protection

ADM
ADM
Z=>A

Protection

Protection

Z=>A

Service

A=>Z

Protection

ADM
ADM
Service

Service

A=>Z

A=>Z

ADM
ADM
ZZ
Z=>A

Other Types Of SONET Self-Healing Rings

(2-Fiber Bi-directional Line-Switched Ring)

Service/Protection

Service/Protection

ADM
ADM
Service/Protection

Note: Each Link Uses 1 (1-way) Fiber

Capacity On Each Fiber Divided Equally Between Service & Protection
(2 Logical Fibers)

ADM
ADM
ZZ

Service/Protection

ADM
ADM

Service/Protection

Service/Protection

Service/Protection

Service/Protection

ADM
ADM
AA

BITS

Clock Accuracy Levels

Sync Status Message

SS Messages