Network

Switched Shared Access

The switched ring network allows many packets to be in transit at any one time. Some optimisation of flow is possible by placing nodes which communicate heavily with each other at adjacent points on the ring. These networks generally have to be bidirectional in order to allow for the possibility of a node crashing or a link failing.

The shared access network allows each node to communicate with any other node at the peak rate allowed by the bus but no guarantee of access to the bus is available. Nodes can be added and removed easily without (necessarily) disturbing the 1 communication between the other nodes on the network.

Multiplexing / Multiple Access

WDM Wavelength Division Multiplexing TDM Time Division Multiplexing CDM - Code Division Multiplexing PDM Polarization Division Multiplexing SDM Spot / Space Division Multiplexing SCM Sub-Carrier Multiplexing

Topology

LAN & MAN

Architecture

Problems And Issues

Multiplexing: How do we bring together all the low bit rate sources to the edge of the network? Cross talk: How do we stop channels interfering Failures: What do we do when things go wrong? Noise: How do we regenerate the signals? Amplifiers: How do their properties affect WDM systems? Measurements: How do the administrators know if there is a problem? Bandwidth provision: Disparity in the needs of users and ability of network providers to allocate varying amounts of bandwidth possibly dynamically. Access networks: Reducing the capital investment and the per user cost. Path dependence: Signals travel different paths and hence experience different loss, dispersion, polarization etc. How to control these for network scalability ?
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Quick History of Optical Networking

1958: Laser discovered Mid-60s: Guided wave optics demonstrated 1970: Production of low-loss fibers
Made long-distance optical transmission possible!

1970: invention of semiconductor laser diode

Made optical transceivers highly refined!

70s-80s: Use of fiber in telephony: SONET Mid-80s: LANs/MANs: broadcast-and-select architectures 1988: First trans-atlantic optical fiber laid Late-80s: EDFA (optical amplifier) developed
Greatly alleviated distance limitations!

Mid/late-90s: DWDM systems explode Late-90s: Intelligent Optical networks

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Evolution of Optical Networks

First Generation
SONET SDH

Second Generation
Broadcast & Select WDM Wavelength Routing WDM

Next Generation
Optical CDMA Optical TDMA Photonic packet/burst switching Hybrid networks
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First Generation Optical Networks

Signal transmission medium Optical domain

Switching, processing, routing Electrical domain

TDM based electrical domain

Multiplexing Strategy different from PDH

Management & Protection functionalities

SONET Synchronous Optical Network SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy

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Second Generation Optical Networks

Signal transmission
Routing and switching Multiplexing

Optical domain
Optical domain C /D WDM

Broadcast & Select WDM Wavelength Routing WDM

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