Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer

DSLAM

Yasir Fawad
M.Ibrahim
 DSLAM
A DSLAM is a Network Device, usually placed at a Telephone Company Central Office, That
Receives Signals from multiple customer of DSL Connections and puts the signals on a high- speed
backbone line using Multiplexing Techniques.
DSLAM multiplexers connect DSL lines with some combination of Asynchronous Transfer
mode (ATM), Frame Relay, or Internet Protocol Networks.
DSLAM enables a phone company to offer business or home users the fastest Phone Line
Technology (DSL) with the fastest backbone Network Technology (ATM).
DSLAM stands for Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer. It's primary function is to provide
roadband connections to subscribers based upon various DSL flavors, e.g.;

ADSL - Asymmetrical Digital subscriber Line

VDSL - Very High Speed DSL
SH.DSL - Symmetrical High Speed DSL
• DSLAMs are split in to 2 sides
• Customer Side & Trunk Side.
• Customer side is where the customer telephone lines are connected
• Trunk side is where the DSLAM connects to the ISP network.
• On the customer side each line is configured to supply a data
connection via DSL to the customer modem. Customer connections are
always ATM over DSL - this means the customers Ethernet frames
(from their PC) are put in to ATM cells which are transmitted via the DSL
on their phone line to the DSLAM.
• The trunk side can use various connections depending upon the make
& model. Typically trunk connections are ATM, Ethernet or IP.
• A DSLAM is a piece of equipment that assembles multiple xDSL
modems.
• Current DSLAMs available on the market may include up to a few
hundreds of xDSL modem-cards.
• A DSLAM is a multi technology piece of equipment, its modem cards
being in general of different types
• HDSL (High-bit-rate digital subscriber line )
• HDSL2
• SHDSL (Symmetrical high-speed digital subscriber line)
• G.dmt
• G.lite
• DSLAM is placed at the boarder between local loops and public networks on which are connected service

providers.

• These public networks may be of different types

• circuit-switching–oriented (PSTN (public switched telephone network) managed by an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier))

• packet switching–oriented (ATM, IP, Ethernet-based or frame relay networks managed by a CLEC (competitive local exchange

carrier )).

• A DSLAM is not only a set of xDSL modems used at the end of each subscriber line. Located either at the EOs or

at CO,1 it serves as a protocol adapter and as a traffic concentrator.

• The DSLAM acts like a network switch since its functionality is at layer 2 of the OSI model.

• The size of a DSLAM is comparable to the size of an IP router.

DSLAM Evolution
NGN
DSLAM Evolution

IP Core + Full-Service=
Full-Service Access Platform
IP Core
DSLAM

ATM Core
DSLAM

1G 2G 3G

Time
 SD

SD
CHASSIS STATUS

TEMPERATU RE FAN POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Output Output Output Output Output Output

Good Good Good Good Good Good

LAMP
TEST

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Power

Power

Power

Power

Power
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SD Path B uild er S7 00

+
TALK / DATA
TALK RS CS TR RD TD CD

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ATTACH
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PSTN
ADSL Modem Splitter
STRAP
HERE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

CISCOSYSTEMS

ABC DEF
1 2 3
Store/Red.

Mail GHI JKL MN

4 5 6
Individ rep. ISDN serv.y
PRS TUV WXY
Redial Trans fer 7 8 9
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DSLAM

DSLAM in Network
DSLAM Hardware
• By using an ADSL modem or a DSL router, a customer can make
a connection to the DSLAM within their proximity. 
• The connection is made with unshielded twisted pair telephone
lines through a Public Switched Telephone Network. 
• DSLAM hardware includes multiple aggregation cards which are
used to connect customers through the several ports on the card. 
• A typical DSLAM aggregation card will have 24 ports, but different
manufacturers produce different options with more or less ports. 
• The telephone company grade chassis material must be used
with modern DSLAMs and use a 48 volt DC power supply. 
• A modern DSLAM will contain the following:
• Chassis – the chassis must be able to withstand trauma as well as be
properly insulated to prevent unnecessary arcs which may cause damage to
the DSLAM and any components.
• Aggregation Cards – the devices which actively move incoming
connections to open ports on the system
• Cabling – the DSLAM requires a large amount of cables to be routed within
its chassis to make all of the connections possible.
• Upstream Links – the upstream links use gigabit Ethernet or multi-gigabit
fiber optic links to process the data out of the DSLAM from the customers. 
ADSL connections usually have slower uplinks while SDSL connections are
much faster.
 Properties of a DSLAM
• DSLAMs are very complex pieces of equipment and are basically designed to
make connections as fast as possible between different locations. 
• The speed of the connections is really up to several factors but the three
most important functions of the DSLAM are:
• Use as a Multiplexer –
• The multiplexing abilities of the DSLAM are very complicated and perform the
necessary encoding of both voice and data signals through the phone company and
through to the ISP. 
• Some DSLAMs can do this for several hundreds to thousands of connections at one
time.  This requires a large amount of resources to pull off and keep going smoothly.
• Use as a Data Switch –
• The data switching capabilities of the DSLAM are important to providing a connection to the
internet. 
• The data switching allows connections between services and is required for use by several
different customers at once. 
• Once a switch on the board is free, it becomes available for another connection to be made
through.
• Collection of Modems –
• The DSLAM is also a large collection of modems which are designed to patch the customers
through to their appropriate services. 
• The modems within the DSLAM are capable of adjusting the line to remove echoes and other
disturbances from the line to compensate and increase the bandwidth for the maximum
connection rate possible.
 The Speed of DSLAM Connections
Compared to Distance
• The DSLAM requires a specific proximity between itself and the customer to have acceptable
connection qualities. 
• The longer the distance of the phone lines which will be carrying the signal between the customer
and the DSLAM, the lower the quality and speed of the connection will be possible. 
• The data rates are specially designed to go a certain speed with these distances in mind and many
consumers will never get the full advertised data rate for their Internet connections due to their
distance from the DSLAM. 
• Slow speeds are usually due to varying data rates with distances greater than 2 kilometers and the
amount of traffic on the lines. 
• A list of speeds and the distance required to achieve these speeds follows:
• 25 Mbps – 1,000 feet
• 21 Mbps – 5,000 feet
• 1.5 Mbps – 15,000 feet
• 800 kbps – 17,000 feet
Applications
Multimedia Conference
Video Phone
IP Centrex

Voice-Email

Public Phone

DSLAM
Multimedia
Terminal

Home gateway
WLAN xDSL Modem IAD

Consumer end user/Soho

Business end users
THANKS