Packet Optical The Transmode Way

Packet-
Optical THE
TRANSMODE
WAY
Introduction
transmode introduction 3
Packet-Optical the Transmode Way, has been written The term P-OTS is widely used within the industry
by Transmode to help customers, prospects, partners and has been recycled from an earlier definition (Plain
or anyone else who needs to have a better under- Old Telephone Service) to cover a range of solutions
standing of the packet-optical world. It is intended and networks with varying degrees of capabilities
to accompany WDM the Transmode Way, which covers and functionality. Transmode defines P-OTS devices
all aspects of Layer 1 optical networking. This book and networks using the classifications developed by
focuses on the integration of higher layer function- Infonetics Research. We have therefore asked Andrew
ality into optical systems to create Packet-Optical Schmitt, Principal Analyst at Infonetics Research, to
Transport Systems (P-OTS) i.e. packet-optical net- give us a short introduction to packet-optical techno-
works. logy and the specific definitions they use in Chapter 2.
Optical fiber provides almost loss-less transmission Packet-optical integration has some great advan-
of signals at an ultra-wide range of frequencies. Packet tages in terms of cost and service differentiation.
switching, implemented according to the Ethernet Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture
family of protocols, offers one of the most efficient takes this one step further and its benefits in terms of
ways for sorting and directing streams of digital data. reduced equipment and operational cost, key capabili-
With packet-optical networking these two outstand- ties such as latency and sync and simplified opera-
ing technologies are positioned to dominate the next tions are outlined in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 then
generation of transport networks.
4 introduction transmode
takes the reader further on into how these values details of the TM-Series, the multi-layer management
are leveraged by various applications, such as Business suite Enlighten, or other parts of Transmodes
Ethernet, Mobile Backhaul and CableTV Backhaul. product portfolio are available at:
www.transmode.com
For those wanting a better understanding of the various
Layer 2 Ethernet technologies, Chapter 5 includes a Unique features of Transmodes packet-optical
description of how these function and how they are solutions are highlighted with this marker throughout
leveraged in wide area networks. the text.
Packet-Optical the Transmode Way has been written The information included is subject to change with-
to enable readers to use the book as needed to out further notice. All statements, information and
research a particular subject or to read the complete recommendations are believed to be accurate but
volume from end to end. Either way, we hope you find are presented without warranty of any kind.
the book informative and useful.
As with the accompanying book WDM the Transmode

Way, the descriptions in this book are kept as product
release independent as possible. Current product
transmode introduction 5
Content Introduction 3
1. An overview of the packet-

2.4.4 The multi-layer service management
system 29
2.5 Advantages of packet-optical
optical market by Andrew transport 31
Schmitt, Infonetics Research 9
2.5.1 Benefits of the packet-optical
approach 31
2. Packet-optical networking 13
2.5.2 Advantages of Transmodes Native
2.1 Chapter summary 14
Packet Optical 2.0 architecture 31
2.2 The principles of packet-optical
2.6 Migrating legacy TDM services
integration 14
to Ethernet 33
2.2.1 Why aggregate traffic at Layer 2? 14
2.6.1 One common infrastructure
2.2.2 Ethernet transport at Layer 2 for Ethernet and legacy TDM services 33
versus Layer 1 16
2.6.2 Using the iSFP to convert SDH/SONET
2.2.3 Native Ethernet and ODU2e framing 19 services for Ethernet transport 34
2.2.4 MPLS-TP for traffic engineering and 2.7 Multi-layer network management 36
service scalability 22 2.7.1 Transmodes multi-layer management
2.3 A packet-optical architecture suite Enlighten 36
optimized for transport 26
2.7.2 Network management principles 38
2.4 The main elements of a Transmode
packet-optical transport network 28 2.7.3 A unified information model
for multi-layer management 38
2.4.1 Ethernet Demarcation Units (EDU)
and Network Interface Devices (NID) 28 2.7.4 Layer 2 Service Provisioning 39
2.4.2 Ethernet Muxponders (EMXP) 29 2.7.5 Layer 2 Service Assurance 39
2.4.3 Optical add/drop multiplexors (OADM, 2.8 Software Defined Networking (SDN)
and Network Virtualization 41
ROADM) and other optical elements 29
6 transmode
3. Applications of packet- 3.5.2 Transmodes solution for switched 4.5.1 Carrier Ethernet: Ethernet
optical networking 45 video transport 54 as a transport service 68
3.1 Chapter summary 46 3.6 Data center interconnect 4.5.2 The Carrier Ethernet architecture
3.2 Ethernet services for enterprises and cloud computing 55 and terminology 70
Business Ethernet 46 4.5.3 Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Services 71
4. Ethernet and Layer 2
3.2.1 Serving enterprise customers 46 technologies 57 4.5.4 Carrier Ethernet Service Attributes 72
3.2.2 A network for Business Ethernet 47 4.1 Chapter summary 58 4.6 Carrier Ethernet traffic
3.3 Aggregation of IP traffic management 73
4.2 Ethernet basics 58
IP backhaul 49 4.6.1 Bandwidth profiles 73
4.2.1 Ethernet mode of operation 58
3.3.1 IP based services over a common 4.6.2 Class of Service (CoS) and Service
infrastructure 49 4.2.2 Virtual LANs 60 Level Agreements (SLA) 75
3.3.2 A lean and transport centric 4.2.3 Ethernet physical media (PHY) 61 4.6.3 Traffic shaping 76
aggregation network 49 4.3 Synchronization and circuit 4.7 Carrier Ethernet Operations,
3.3.3 The flexible optical network brings emulation services over Ethernet 62 Administration and Maintenance
scalability 50 4.3.1 Synchronous and asynchronous (Ethernet OAM) 76
3.4 Mobile backhaul 51 transport 62 4.7.1 The management framework 76
3.4.1 3G and 4G/LTE place new requirements 4.3.2 Synchronization standards 64 4.7.2 Standards for Ethernet OAM 77
on mobile backhaul 51 4.4 Ethernet protection 66 4.7.3 The service lifecycle 78
3.4.2 A backhaul network optimized 4.4.1 Link aggregation (LAG) 66 4.7.4 Ethernet Service OAM Performance
for 3G and 4G/LTE 52 4.4.2 Ethernet ring protection switching and fault management 78
3.5 Switched video transport 53 (ERPS) 66 Summary 82
3.5.1 Streaming 3D and HD video 4.5 Carrier Ethernet architecture
to the home 53 and services 68 index 83
transmode 7
1. An overview
of the packet-
optical market

by Andrew Schmitt,
Infonetics Research
Optical technology has surged forward in recent years with the move to functionality, which will be explained in full later in this book, includes a
higher speed coherent optics, more optical flexibility with the wide-scale minimal level functionality that must be supported to be classified within
adoption of ROADM technology and the integration of Ethernet func- the metro-edge P-OTS category. This functionality includes provision-
tionality from higher layers in the OSI stack into the optical layer, what ing, managing, verifying and protecting Layer 2 Ethernet services using a
we refer to as Packet-Optical integration. Of these, the move to packet- defined group of standardized protocols and procedures. Of course, many
optical solutions is perhaps the most confusing, as the phrase means systems in the market will support a much wider level of functionality
different things to different parties, be they vendors, operators, analysts than this minimum requirement. There are also some systems that do not
or the media. The variation stems from individual experiences with the meet the required level, but still are marketed as packet-optical systems.
wide range of solutions on the market.
Metro-core P-OTS are similar systems that support all the functionality
Infonetics formed its definition of packet-optical largely through dialogue required in a metro-edge P-OTS system but also support applications
with service providers from many regions and markets. In a nutshell, within the core of a network. As such, they are typically physically larger
packet-optical integration encompasses a range of systems that supports systems that support a larger capacity but must also support switching
a combination of optical and packet/Ethernet technology. After many across the whole chassis or node from any port to any other port, rather
years of tracking this evolving market, and asking carriers specifically how than just within ports on a single plug-in unit that is common in metro-
they define packet-optical, we recently modified and updated our defini- edge P-OTS platforms. These metro-core P-OTS platforms must therefore
tions of the P-OTS market to match the latest trends in the industry, and support centralized switching fabrics for Ethernet traffic and a centralized
we split the industry into two distinct sub-segments: metro-edge P-OTS SDH/SONET and/or OTN switch. They must also support fully integrated
and metro-core P-OTS. ROADM-based optical switching and a single control plane.
Metro-edge P-OTS are systems aimed at applications toward the edge These definitions allow us to track the progress of the industry with a
of an optical network. These systems are WDM-based optical network- clear demarcation between the different systems that are closer to the
ing platforms with integrated Ethernet switching. They have varying edge of the network and those deeper in the network and closer to the
degrees of support for Layer 1 technologies such as SDH/SONET and core. Those at the edge often have features that are very application
OTN, but must also support Layer 2 Ethernet functionality. This Ethernet specific, such as Ethernet synchronization schemes for mobile backhaul
10 An overview of the packet-optical market transmode

networks, and can require this functionality in both compact edge nodes While Transmodes product portfolio supports some of the metro-core
and larger aggregation nodes. These metro-edge P-OTS systems need to P-OTS functionality such as integrated ROADM technology, the function-
also pay special attention to the service demarcation and provisioning as- ality of the companys Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture currently
pects of running a network and therefore support of standards like those falls clearly into the metro-edge P-OTS category. The terms Packet-
defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) are particularly important. Optical and P-OTS in this book cover both the metro-edge and metro-
core P-OTS definitions from Infonetics Research. The use of these terms
Those systems at the core of a network are typically dealing with traffic implies that the strict minimum functionality levels are achieved within
from many applications and as such require less service awareness but the packet-optical transport system.
require the capacity to handle more traffic and a higher degree of Layer 1
transport capabilities over Layer 2 Ethernet, as shown below. The move to P-OTS networks allows operators to capitalize on Ethernet
as a single standard service protocol and to build single networks capable
of supporting many parallel applications over the same infrastructure.
It has the potential to play a significant role in enabling operators to
address the challenges they face as they evolve their networks, particu-
larly as they look to add support for Software Defined Networking (SDN)
features.
We at Infonetics Research see the evolution of P-OTS systems and

networks as a very important aspect of the overall evolution of optical
networking. This area is one of the fastest growing segments of the indus-
try and has a large part to play in supporting the networks of today and
tomorrow. Exciting times are ahead!
Andrew Schmitt
Principal Analyst, Optical
Figure 1. The future of transport and switching. Source: Infonetics Research. Infonetics Research
transmode An overview of the packet-optical market 11

2. Packet-optical
networking
2.1 Chapter summary This chapter deals with the principles of transporting Ethernet traffic
over WDM networks and describes how these two key technologies are
Optical fiber provides almost loss-less transmission of signals at an
integrated by a unifying architecture Native Packet Optical 2.0. It also
ultra-wide range of frequencies. Packet switching, implemented accord-
highlights the advantages of the architecture, including how traffic is
ing to the Ethernet family of protocols, offers one of the most efficient
transported with minimal delay and without loss of synchronization.
ways ever for sorting and directing streams of digital data. Packet-optical
The chapter ends with a section on network management and approaches
networking fundamentally addresses how to leverage the outstanding
to Software Defined Networking (SDN).
characteristics of these two technologies to implement the next genera-
tion of telecommunication networks.
The scalability and cost effectiveness of Ethernet has made it the 2.2 The principles of packet-optical
unifying service protocol for modern wide area networking. Increasingly integration
the consolidation of the optical and Ethernet/IP transport infrastructure
within the same network elements has become the means to drive down
2.2.1 Why aggregate traffic at Layer 2?
both network investment costs and the associated operational costs. The
The introduction of Layer 2, i.e. Ethernet, aggregation brings several
additional support of label switching mechanisms (MPLS-TP1) is an extra
benefits to network operators. Traditionally, metro aggregation networks
tool kit to complement Ethernet and to enhance the transport capabili-
were implemented by WDM equipment attached to other equipment
ties and scalability of the network. Supervised by a multi-layer manage-
such as DSLAMs and mobile base stations or to enterprise networks.
ment system, integrating the handling of OSI Layer 1 optical channels
The traffic from these was transported to an IP core network directly, i.e.
and Layer2 Ethernet services, a flexible, cost efficient and future proof
at Layer 1, using fibers in ring or star topologies. As the number of end
telecommunications infrastructure is here and ready to be deployed.
points grew, the central IP core network had to be extended, requiring
more IP routers at more sites and with more ports, as indicated on the
left side of Figure 2.
Multiprotocol Label Switching Transport Profile.

1
14 Packet-optical networking transmode

(time or frequency multiplexing), where the number of users and their
data rates are fixed. Statistical multiplexing makes use of the fact
that the information rate from each source varies over time and that
bandwidth of the optical path only needs to be consumed when there
is actual information to send.
yySince the traffic is concentrated at Layer 2 in the aggregation network
it can be handed over to the IP core routers via a few high speed inter-
faces rather than over many lower speed interfaces. This simplifies
administration and contributes to a lower cost per handled bit.
yyAs an additional benefit the aggregation network itself can be used
to offer services within the metro/regional area. For example, point
to point Ethernet connections can be provided between offices in a
city center without loading any central router nodes. Such direct con-
Figure 2. Migrating from Layer 1 to Layer 2 aggregation of traffic.
nectivity gives more rational traffic handling and reduced forwarding
delay compared to using the central IP routers.
In this situation, there are several reasons to introduce a Layer 2

aggregation network:
yyThe IP core network can be reduced in size to only a few central
routers instead of being spread-out throughout the full metro net-
work area. Layer 2 aggregation equipment is normally less costly 2,
consumes less power, has lower latency and requires less expertise to
configure than IP routers. This centralization of the IP core network
reduces the investment necessary and the operational costs.
yyLayer 2 aggregation can perform statistical multiplexing of data traffic,
and the WDM channels of the underlying optical network can be
used much more efficiently than if only Layer 1 aggregation was used.
Statistical multiplexing allows the bandwidth to be divided arbitrarily
among a variable number of users in contrast to Layer 1 aggregation
Figure 3. The statistical multiplexing of Ethernet is leveraged to fill the pipes,
2
Analyst estimate that Layer 2 equipment is only between 3050% the cost a feature which is especially useful in the edge of the network where traffic
of Layer3 equipment. often is more variable.
transmode Packet-optical networking 15

2.2.2 Ethernet transport at Layer 2 versus Layer 1 A basic Layer 1 Ethernet transport solution takes every incoming frame
Given the benefits of a Layer 2 aggregation network, it is important to from the sending customer Ethernet network and puts it into a digital
understand how such a network differs from a traditional network with wrapper adapted for transmission over the WDM channel. At the receiv-
Layer 1 aggregation of Ethernet traffic over WDM. ing end, the wrapper is removed and the original frame is handed over
to the customer Ethernet network. In this way, every single frame is
Transporting Ethernet traffic between two remote sites with WDM as the forwarded without modification between the two customer networks.
underlying bearer technology can be done in two fundamentally different
ways: The Layer 1 transport solution provides a transparent path between
yyUsing transparent transport of Ethernet frames over a WDM channel, the two customer Ethernet networks, giving the highest possible Quality
i.e. Layer 1 (optical) transport of Service (QoS) in terms of latency, latency variation and packet loss.
A Layer 1 network is also fully deterministic and provides 100% through-
yyUsing an intermediate Carrier Ethernet Network3 that in turn gets put regardless of what services that are carried by the Ethernet traffic.
its frames transported over one or more WDM channels, i.e. Layer 2 But since a Layer 1 network is totally transparent to the Ethernet traffic
(Carrier Ethernet) transport. This is the technology used in a Layer 2 it is also unaware of any Ethernet service information and can only
aggregation network. manipulate the traffic at Layer 1.
Both alternatives have advantages and disadvantages.
Figure 4. Layer 1 transport: Ethernet traffic is carried transparently at Layer 1 Figure 5. Layer 2 transport: Ethernet traffic is transported via a Service VLAN
over a WDM wavelength. in a Carrier Ethernet Network extending between operator sites.
S ee section 4.5 for more information about Carrier Ethernet as defined

3
by Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).

In a Layer 2 transport network the customer Ethernet networks are Multiple Ethernet signals are TDM-multiplexed in a Layer 1 solution.
interconnected via an intermediate Ethernet, the Carrier Ethernet Network. The aggregated signal is not a standard Ethernet signal and consequently
A Service VLAN (SVLAN) or an MPLS-TP pseudowire in the Carrier Ethernet de-multiplexing must be done before the original signals are handed over
Network is used to keep traffic from each set of customer Ethernet net- to a switch/router. A Layer 2 solution performs aggregation to a new
works separated, i.e. the SVLAN/pseudowire establishes the connectivity native Ethernet signal that can be handed over without any need for de-
between the involved customer Ethernet networks belonging to the same multiplexing. A Layer 2 solution will normally require a lower port density
subscriber. The frames of the Carrier Ethernet SVLAN/pseudowire are on the receiving switch/router, which may have a beneficial impact on the
transported over channels of the WDM network, just as before. cost of that equipment.
A plain Layer 1 transport solution cannot concentrate the Ethernet Since a Layer 2 network can use policing to separate the effective data
traffic being aggregated, which may result in low utilization of the WDM rate offered to a subscriber from the actual line rate available on the
wavelengths. For example, a Layer 1 network collecting Gigabit Ethernet access line, a Layer 2 network can offer a more flexible and granular set
signals that are utilized to a very low extent, will still carry them as if they of transport services than a Layer 1 network. While a Layer 1 network
were 100% loaded. This may lead to unnecessary investment in Layer 1 typically only provides services at the standard Ethernet line rates, such
equipment for additional wavelengths in the transport network. as 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s, a Layer 2 network may offer much more flexi-
bility, such as 25 Mbit/s, 200 Mbit/s or 400 Mbit/s transport services
In the Layer 2 transport solution the incoming customer Ethernet frames over a physical 1 Gbit/s port.
are analyzed and acted upon by the equipment located at the ingress
point of the Carrier Ethernet Network, before being forwarded. It is pos- The Layer 2 network is intrinsically less deterministic than a Layer 1 trans-
sible to concentrate the incoming flow of Ethernet frames by statistical port solution. The throughput of a Layer 2 network may suddenly change
multiplexing and applying shaping and policing to the Ethernet traffic. due to introduction of a new service or due to changed traffic situations.
The Layer 2 solution can be made fully Ethernet service aware and However, the Layer 2 network can be made to behave in a deterministic way
analyze and act upon Layer 2 traffic. by use of predefined capacity reservations, i.e. by use of traffic engineering.

The following table summarizes some of the differences between a Layer 1
and a Layer 2 network for wide area Ethernet transport.
Layer 1 Ethernet transport Layer 2 Ethernet transport

TDM multiplexing: Collects and delivers traffic at the same format and data rate. Statistical multiplexing: Collects traffic at one data rate and can deliver input
from many sources over one interface at a higher rate.
Fixed data rates, typically 100 Mbit/s, 1 GbE and 10 GbE. Flexible selection of data rates. Allocation of bandwidth by policing and shaping
of traffic.
Deterministic. What goes in comes out. Relies on traffic engineering to achieve deterministic behavior.
Unaware (transparent) of Ethernet service information and can only manipulate Ethernet service aware. May analyze and act on Layer 2 control
traffic at Layer 1 information, i.e. can be used to create Ethernet transport services with different
characteristics and QoS.
Lowest delay, jitter and packet loss. Statistical multiplexing implies a risk for delay, jitter and lost packets.
Layer 1 Performance Management based on bit errors (CRC). Layer 2 Performance Management based on VLANs and Ethernet Virtual
Connections, latency, jitter, frame loss etc.
Embedded management channels via overhead bytes in line signal wrapper. Embedded management channels via separate management VLAN at Layer 2.
Figure 6. Characteristics of Layer 1 and Layer 2 Ethernet transport.
The Transmode packet-optical offering provides the user of the TM-Series VLANs on a Gigabit Ethernet client port. This enables direct remote
with three principal alternatives for transport of Ethernet traffic: management of Layer 2 devices via the same DCN4 solution as for the
yyPlain Layer 1 transport, i.e. transponders and muxponders optical transport equipment.
that provide 100% transparent Ethernet transport at OSI Layer 1. yyFull Layer 2 transport according to the Carrier Ethernet specifica-
yyEthernet-aware Layer 1 transport, i.e. muxponders that provide tions by Metro Ethernet Forum (CE 2.0 from MEF), i.e. equipment
100% transparent transport but have Layer 2 features, such as providing providing aggregation and concentration of Ethernet and other traffic
information on to what extent a Gigabit Ethernet connection is with a selected set of Layer 2 functions that support the transport
utilized. This enables the network operator to analyze the wavelength task. Such functions are for example IEEE 802.3ad link aggregation,
utilization and avoid unnecessary investment in transponders/ Traffic Shaping and Policing and Bandwidth Profiles with guaranteed
muxponders to launch additional wavelengths. Another unique 4
ata Communications Network used for management and control
D
Transmode feature is the ability to inject/extract management of the network equipment.

bandwidth allocation. The Transmode Layer 2 network elements the standard encapsulation recommended by Transmode for metro/
the Ethernet Muxponders (EMXP) are also Layer 1 aware, meaning aggregation networks, since it allows each intermediate node to
that they can be connected directly to a WDM-link and support examine and manipulate the Ethernet control information, i.e. to
features such as Forward Error Correction (FEC) at the optical layer. perform statistical multiplexing and differentiation of services at the
Ethernet level.
All the above mentioned units transponders, muxponders and Ethernet
yyODU2e framing according to the OTN standard: The frames of the
Muxponders are plug-in units that can be inserted in any combination
Carrier Ethernet Network are carried over the WDM wavelength by
in the different chassis options provided by the Transmode TM-Series
Optical Channel Data Units (ODU) according to the OTN standard.
platform. As an example, Layer 2 capable Ethernet Muxponders can be
This encapsulation is especially favorable when the Carrier Ethernet
used at the edge of the network to collect and aggregate Ethernet traffic
extends over longer distances or the data is to be transported via an
and hand over to Layer 1 transponders or muxponders that provide con-
intermediate core OTN network. Using ODU2e framing between the
tinued transport with highest cost-efficiency and Quality of Service.
Ethernet Muxponders allows use of the inherent OTN Forward Error
Correction (FEC) mechanisms and optical path monitoring bits, which
are of importance for long reach links. And since the encapsulation
2.2.3 Native Ethernet and ODU2e framing is in ODU2e format, these data units can also easily traverse any
The Carrier Ethernet Network of a Layer 2 transport network is built on intermediate OTN switches transparently before reaching their final
the WDM optical channels, i.e. the frames of the Carrier Ethernet Network destination.
are transported by the underlying WDM optical system. The Ethernet
payload data can be packaged in the transport containers of the optical
system in several different ways.
Legacy optical transport systems SDH and SONET incorporate adaption

methods such as the Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) to allow for packet
data transport. The Optical Transport Network (OTN) standard is a more
recent digital wrapper technology that wraps any client signal, including
Ethernet frames, in overhead information for operations, administration
and management of the optical links.
The Transmode Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture supports two types
of encapsulation of the Carrier Ethernet traffic for WDM transport:
yyNative Ethernet framing: The frames of the Carrier Ethernet
Network are transported as is, i.e. using the same framing as on an Figure 7. ODU2e and native Ethernet framing. The two-colored bars symbolize Ethernet
ordinary LAN, when forwarded over the WDM wavelength. This is frames with the control information in red.

Native Ethernet framing means that standard Ethernet framing is applied The Optical Transport Network (OTN) is a more recent addition to the
to the data payload at the edge of the network, instead of encapsulating it standards for public telecommunications networks and is sometimes
with an OTN or other digital wrapper. By treating the Ethernet packets referred to by its ITU-T name G.709. The standard was designed to trans-
natively, it is possible to inspect them within the intermediate network port both packet mode traffic such as IP and Ethernet, and legacy SDH/
nodes and to act upon the Ethernet headers so that the combined bene- SONET traffic over fiber optics with DWDM. It supports forward error
fits of Layer 2 intelligence and efficient Layer 1 transport can be realized. correction (FEC) and management functions for monitoring a connection
This becomes especially important in the edge of the network where end-to-end over multiple optical transport segments. Today OTN has
decisions about traffic prioritization are done and where traffic is aggre- its main application in the long haul network where error correction and
gated to fill the pipes. The wrapping of traffic into full OTN can then be interoperability between several operators equipment are important.
done at the handover to the core network, after aggregated pipes of traffic
that are correctly shaped have been created, avoiding wasting bandwidth. OTN wraps any client signal in overhead information for operations,
administration and management. The client signal to be transported is
Native Ethernet framing uses the VLAN tag or MPLS-TP labels to switch mapped into an Optical Channel Payload Unit (OPU). The OPU is then
the frames to ports associated with either IP services or with transport encapsulated into the basic unit of information transport by the protocol,
services. Each of these service domains is optimized and simplified for the Optical Channel Data Unit (ODU), which is carried within an Optical
the particular service types. For example, frames containing data for Channel Transport Unit (OTU) defining the line rate of the connection.
high value and high quality IP services (IP-MPLS, IP-VPN or VPLS) can be
switched to paths for transport to the necessary IP devices. By contrast,
frames that are destined for transport services (Ethernet, MPLS-TP or
OTN) can be kept within the optical transport network, with minimal use
of expensive Ethernet switching and IP routing resources.
Figure 8. Service aware transport enables a differentiated service offering with multiple Figure 9. The OTN signal structure and terminology. The Carrier Ethernet frame
classes of services having different characteristics. is carried as the payload of an Optical Channel Payload Unit (OPU).

Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders, the EMXP family, has the necessary In summary: In the access and aggregation part of the transport network
framing capacity for ODU2e5, including optional G.709 FEC on all 10G where service granularity is required, a service aware packet-optical
ports. The optional ODU2e framing on 10G ports allows the native 10G mechanism is beneficial to support different QoS. Also, access to Ethernet
Ethernet frame to be mapped into an ODU2e data unit ready for trans- OAM bytes and service tags enable end-to-end management of Ethernet
port into the OTN core and large OTN switches. This is most useful once services. Using native Ethernet framing offers benefits from both a
the traffic has been aggregated as much as possible to ensure the best revenue generation, investment and an operational perspective in these
possible utilization of the 10G circuit. parts of the network. On the other hand, OTN has all the benefits of a
long haul optical transport network once the traffic has been sufficiently
An OTN core network can also provide a unified transport layer where aggregated and traverses the core part of the network. ODU2e framing
core nodes can combine traffic from OTN muxponder based Layer 1 has its main value in long haul and core network parts.
services with EMXP based ODU2e framed Ethernet services from the
Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture. End to end performance monitoring
is achievable even over multiple carrier networks through OTN with tandem
connection monitoring and Carrier Ethernets inherent Operations,
Administration and Maintenance (OAM) capabilities.
Native Ethernet framing ODU2e framing according to OTN

Ethernet frames are transported natively over the WDM channels with minimum Ethernet frames are transported in Optical Channel Payload Units (OPU)
extra overhead within ODU2e frames and OTU containers according to the OTN standard
The service information contained in the Ethernet frame can be accessed The Ethernet frame is wrapped inside the OPU/ODU and cannot be read
at every node of the network. This allows for statistical multiplexing and service and acted upon without de-multiplexing
differentiation at intermediate network nodes
No Forward Error Correction without an additional Layer 1 Transponder Includes Forward Error Correction and optical path monitoring mechanisms
which are important for long distance links
Traffic carried over OTN is mapped to OTN when it hits a suitably enabled OTN node Provides direct compatibility with intermediate core OTN networks frames
can be forwarded transparently through OTN switches
Especially suited in metro and regional networks were traffic is aggregated Especially suited in core and long distance networks were traffic has been
and service differentiation is applied aggregated into larger streams
Figure 10. Some characteristics of native Ethernet framing and ODU2e framing.
O
5
DU2e is an OTN Optical Channel Data Unit specifically designed for transport
of 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel 10 GFC signals at a data rate of 10.4 Gbit/s.

2.2.4 MPLS-TP for traffic engineering and service
scalability
While Carrier Ethernet Networks and the use of Service VLANs (SVLAN)
bring great advantages to the packet-optical network, there are some
limitations in terms of protection options, traffic engineering and service
scalability. These can be addressed by the use of MPLS-TP, which is the
Transport Profile of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS).
MPLS-TP is a way to simplify Carrier Ethernet services by pre-defining

connection oriented services over packet-based networking technologies
in a way that gives support for traditional transport operational models.
It takes the advantages of MPLS concepts by adding more flexibility and
network manageability than the basic Ethernet SVLAN architecture.
Figure 12. MPLS-TP Framework.
A Label Switched Path (LSP) is defined between nodes were traffic enters
and leaves the MPLS-TP network. Using MPLS-TP terminology, the entry
and exit nodes are referred to as MPLS-TP Provider Edge (PE) nodes and any
intermediate nodes being passed by the LSP are referred to as MPLS-TP
Provider (P). Often the physical node performing the PE function is called
a Label Edge Router6 (LER) and the intermediate transit node is called
Figure 11. Using MPLS-TP to define label switched paths within the Carrier Ethernet a Label Switching Router (LSR). Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders can
Network.
act as both an LER and an LSR, and also combine these roles.
Principles of MPLS-TP
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a technique that forwards
packets based on labels as opposed to a standard Carrier Ethernet
network where the frames are switched based on their SVLAN tags
and MAC addresses.
Note that the use of the term router is historic and neither requires
6
nor precludes the ability to perform IP forwarding. It is sometimes used instead

of node in MPLS context.

Figure 13. MPLS-TP Tunnel. Figure 14. Data is carried by a pseudowire defined within the MPSL-TP Tunnel and Label
Switched Path (LSP).
An MPLS-TP tunnel is a pre-defined MPLS-TP transport path from the A pseudowire is an emulation of a Layer 2, point-to-point, connection-
source LER to the destination LER. The MPLS-TP tunnel always has an oriented service over a packet-switching network (PSN), from Attachment
active LSP that defines the primary and working path. It may also have Circuit (AC) to AC. The pseudowire used in MPLS-TP is a connection estab-
a protect LSP which define a recovery path. lished between two MPLS-TP Label Edge Routers (LER) across the MPLS-TP
tunnel/LSP with the Attachment Circuit frames encapsulated
Both the tunnel and the LSP can be envisaged as pre-defined circuits for as MPLS data.
information to follow through the network, and consequently tunnels
and LSPs are configured in advance from the network management
system. A key feature of MPLS-TP, which distinguishes it from classic IP
MPLS, is in fact that management and protection are designed to operate
without a dynamic control plane, i.e. similar to a traditional SDH/SONET
network, where circuits are set up by the management system.
The actual data traffic is carried by a pseudowire (PW) inside the LSP/
tunnel. One MPLS-TP LSP may carry one or more pseudowires, i.e. the
pseudowires offer a means for multiplexing of traffic.

Figure 15. Ethernet over MPLS encapsulation. Figure 17. MPLS-TP OSI network layers. The two variants of the physical layer correspond
to native Ethernet framing and ODU2e framing respectively.
A Layer 2 transport service is established between two Attachment Both Ethernet SVLAN and MPLS-TP forwarding techniques have their own
Circuits and the service is carried by a pseudowire. The pseudowire travels benefits and it is often advantageous to be able to offer services based
through the network in an MPLS-TP tunnel. The MPLS-TP tunnel is in its on both technologies. For example multicast services are generally more
turn mapped to at least one LSP, the active LSP. suited for deployment directly over SVLANs on Ethernet, whereas point-
to-point trunks requiring protection benefits more from the MPLS-TP
features.
MPLS-TP is fully supported by Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0

architecture and the EMXP family of muxponders. Any physical port on
an Ethernet Muxponder can support both native Ethernet and MPLS-TP,
allowing operators to deploy MPLS-TP where and when it makes sense
for them. It is possible to run MPLS selective per port or separate MPLS
traffic based on MAC address and VLAN within the same port. This allows
Figure 16. Relation between pseudowire, tunnel and Label Switched Path (LSP).
seamless migration and co-existence with the two protocols running
independently side by side.
The following diagram summarizes how transport in an MPLS-TP network
relates to the OSI model. Note that Ethernet framing is present both at
the link layer and the client service layer.

In order to deploy MPLS in a production network, MPLS can be intro- to the network, as it is similar to the processes involved in traditional
duced either as an overlay to the existing Ethernet or incremental as an transport networks. This helps operators migrate from traditional trans-
evolutionary build-out in parallel on the same networking hardware. port networks to packet-optical networks.
Transmode believes in a smooth evolution, provided by Ships in the Night
capability with Ethernet and MPLS in parallel as independent non-inter-
fering protocols in the same system. MPLS-TP resolves the MAC scalability problem
In an SVLAN based Carrier Ethernet Network all MAC addresses of the
attached Customer Ethernet networks are visible to every switch within
MPLS-TP in Flexible Optical Networks the Carrier Ethernet Network. Since each customer network may include
Packet-optical networks are often deployed today over a ROADM based an extensive number of devices and MAC addresses, this result in a need
Flexible Optical Network and this brings a mesh based structure to the for large MAC address tables in each network node, creating various
wavelength routing and the paths available through the physical network problems and extra equipment cost. Using MPLS-TP, the customer MAC
for any services. One previous drawback with Ethernet was that it wasnt addresses are encapsulated within the pseudowire payload and not
well suited for protection and restoration over mesh based networks as seen by the intermediate switches of the Carrier Ethernet Network. The
the available protection schemes were largely based on point to point or switches of the Carrier Ethernet Network do not have to be designed with
ring architectures. MPLS-TP is highly suited for a mesh based environment the number of Customer Ethernet MAC addresses in mind.
and allows network operators to design network resilience strategies that
are closely aligned to the physical structure of the network, ensuring the
best possible resilience and service up time. MPLS-TP allows for virtually unlimited
number of customers
The IEEE 802.1Q standard allows for a maximum of 4094 SVLANs in
MPLS-TP Easy service creation a Carrier Ethernet Network and one SVLAN is normally required per sub-
Another advantage of MPLS-TP is that it breaks the service creation into scribing customer. Since MPLS-TP uses tunnels and label switched paths
two steps. Firstly, tunnels are created between end points within the to define the connectivity within the network, there is no such upper limit
network for service and protection paths for the MPLS-TP based services. for the number of customers that can be handled by a network using
Then, the network administrator simply creates new services by adding MPLS-TP.
the new services to the tunnel end points as pseudowires, safe in the
knowledge that all routing aspects of the service have already been Of course, as the MPLS-TP services in Transmodes Native Packet Optical
handled. This brings two distinct advantages. First, it makes the solution 2.0 architecture are delivered over the same hardware platform as native
more scalable and it is simpler to add a large number of services to the Ethernet services, they also benefit from the same transport-like per-
network. Second, it brings a very familiar look and feel to service creation formance with extremely low latency and almost zero jitter and can be
combined with synchronization schemes such as SyncE when required,
e.g. in mobile backhaul networks.

2.3 A packet-optical architecture A key objective in the development of the architecture has been to expand
the number of services that can be provided by and over an optical infra-
optimized for transport structure: More services over the same network means more revenues and
Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture is the base for Trans- less cost for the operator. By integrating a selected set of Layer 2 functions
modes packet-optical networks. The architecture builds on Transmodes with the optical layer, the network becomes much more potent in terms
long and recognized experience in optical networking combined with the of service offering and can be made more scalable. The tight integration
Ethernet, MPLS-TP and OTN transport capabilities outlined in section between Layer 1 and Layer 2 also makes it possible to increase resilience
2.2. The architecture supports the delivery of fully MEF compliant Carrier and improve traffic management in ways not possible with less integrated
Ethernet 2.0 services and other Layer 2 services in combination with the approaches.
flexibility of a wide choice of underlying transport technology alternatives.
One major advantage of the Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture is that
it is agnostic to the chosen transport network technology. The traffic may
flow over a ROADM-based, flexible optical network which provides the
underlying connectivity and can be used for transparent Layer 1 services.
In addition, a Transmode packet-optical network can seamlessly inter-
operate with its transport network over MPLS-TP tunnels, Ethernet
SVLANs or OTN switches and any combination of these.
Figure 18. Key features of Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture.

Figure 19. Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture offers a wide range of Layer 2 services and the selection of multiple underlying transport technologies.
Furthermore, together with the management suite Enlighten, the Native For example, the optical channel quality information detected at Layer1
Packet-Optical 2.0 architecture provides multi-layer traffic and service may be used for automated decisions on how a particular SVLAN or
management. Depending on traffic load or link degradation, the packet- MPLS-TP tunnel is set up and handled at Layer 2.
optical network can switch between different transport alternatives,
ensuring the highest possible quality of service for the subscribers. Native Packet Optical is implemented through the family of optimized
The tight integration between Layer 2 and Layer 1 functionality in the Ethernet Muxponders (EMXP) within the widely deployed TM-Series
architecture also opens up for advanced management of the traffic. networking platform.

2.4 The main elements of a Transmode 2.4.1 Ethernet Demarcation Units (EDU) and Network
packet-optical transport network Interface Devices (NID)
Demarcation of the provided service is a key function of the packet-
Having looked at the principles of packet-optical networking, it is time
optical access network as it enables the service provider to extend his
to discuss how these functions are distributed in a complete network.
control over the entire service path, starting from the customer hand off
Figure 20 illustrates the general architecture of a packet-optical network.
points. The customers equipment is connected to the Carrier Ethernet
As usual the network may be divided into an access, an aggregation, a
network via a provider-owned demarcation device (Ethernet Demarcation
regional/metro core and a core segment, each having their optimal tech-
Unit (EDU) or Network Interface Device (NID)) deployed at the customer
nology implementation and architecture.
location. The unit enables a clear separation between the user and the
provider Ethernet networks.
Transmodes Ethernet Demarcation Unit is an independent unit that

supports Service Level Agreement (SLA) management capabilities, includ-
ing sophisticated traffic management and hierarchical Quality of Service
(QoS) mechanisms, standard end-to-end Operations, Administration and
Maintenance (OAM) and performance monitoring, extensive fault man-
agement and diagnostics, all to reduce service provider operating costs
and capital expenses.
The same set of demarcation functionality is also available via Transmodes

Network Interface Device, which is a port device, supported by its parent
Ethernet Muxponder. The NID performs service OAM but leaves the ser-
vice policing and tagging to be done by the Ethernet Muxponder, reducing
cost and complexity of the customer located equipment.
Figure 2O. The overall architecture of the packet-optical transport network.
Figure 21. Transmodes Network Interface Device (NID).

2.4.2 Ethernet Muxponders (EMXP) Finally, the core network is typically implemented by a set of IP routers
In the aggregation network, traffic ingresses via an Ethernet Muxponder using full IP-MPLS8 for traffic engineering purposes. Normally operators
(EMXP) in the first node. The very same node may also include mux- prefer to have a clear demarcation point towards the aggregation net-
ponders/transponders using additional WDM channels for fully transpar- work at the edge of the core network, often referred to as a provider edge
ent Layer 1 transport and use Layer 2 transport only where inspection and (PE) router. The routers of the core network have a broad functionality
OAM information is required at intermediate points, and where traffic and very high capacity; they are normally interconnected via a strict Layer
needs to be aggregated by statistical multiplexing. 1 WDM network, since the main objective is to provide fat pipes without
any need for Ethernet aggregation.
2.4.3 Optical add/drop multiplexors (OADM, ROADM)

and other optical elements
The Layer 2 specific elements of the aggregation and metro core networks
use Layer 1 optical WDM channels for the transport of Ethernet frames
between network nodes as described in section 3.2.3. All the above Layer 2
specific network elements interwork seamlessly with the flexible optical
networking elements at Layer 1, when present in a truly integrated packet-
optical platform, such as Transmodes TM-Series. A TM-Series node may
include Layer 1 transponders and muxponders, Ethernet Muxponders,
ROADMs and other optical network elements9. The optical layer is indi-
cated by the multicolored ring and links in Figure 20.
Figure 22. Two of the units in Transmodes Ethernet Muxponder (EMXP) family.
The aggregation and the metro core networks are interconnected via a 2.4.4 The multi-layer service management system
packet-optical platform that can provide switching at OSI Layers 1, and 2. The chosen network architecture has a profound influence on the degree
In the metro core, Ethernet SVLANs and MPLS-TP enables detailed handling of operational simplicity that is possible to achieve when it comes to
of the Layer 2 services while WDM keeps legacy transport services at network management. The real benefits of packet-optical networking
Layer 1. A ROADM7 enabled Layer 1 provides flexible wavelength switching can only be realized with a truly integrated Layer 1 and Layer 2 transport
capabilities, while a unified control plane provides management capabilities platform and a unified Layer 1 and Layer 2 management system.
across the aggregation and metro core networks.
8
MPLS used in conjunction with IP and its routing protocols.
9
For a description of how the optical elements work and are used in a flexible optical
Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexor.
7
network, refer to the book WDM the Transmode Way from Transmode.

A network for Carrier Ethernet services may be implemented as a A multi-layer management system has access to both Layer 1 and Layer
separate Layer 1 optical network with Layer 2 Ethernet switches attached 2 network status information and can manage both optical and packet
externally over standard interfaces, as depicted in Figure 23. Although mode equipment. Since Layer 1 and Layer 2 functions are handled by one
conceptually simple, such a configuration results in a complex hierarchy single system, provisioning of Ethernet services affecting both Layer 2 and
of management systems. These systems must be carefully integrated Layer 1 can be done by simple point-and-click commands from the man-
in order to provide a useful Ethernet service provisioning and assurance agement system. Furthermore, Layer 2 services are monitored end-to-end
environment. and adequate Layer 1 resources can be allocated directly, should optical
paths be broken or changes in the traffic pattern occur.
The multi-layer management approach brings further benefits in terms

of lower cost for management hardware, less training, less integration
and simpler administration and maintenance of the entire network.
Especially for network operators not already having an extensive
Operations Support System (OSS) in place, the unified packet-optical man-
agement system offers significant advantages over the integration
of multiple separate management systems.
Figure 23. Ethernet services provided by separate Ethernet switches attached to an
optical network results in a complex hierarchy of management systems.
Using a true packet-optical network and an integrated multi-layer

management suite, such as Transmodes Enlighten, which includes
the Transmode Network Manager, improves this situation drastically.
Figure 24. Ethernet services provided by an integrated packet-optical platform

and managed from a multi-layer management suite such as Enlighten to simplify
operations and reduce cost.

2.5 Advantages of packet-optical VLAN tags and MPLS labels for example. This should be done until such a
point in the network where traffic with the same QoS requirements has
transport been fully aggregated.
2.5.1 Benefits of the packet-optical approach Full service awareness enables the operator to differentiate and market
Implementing a packet-optical network helps the operator attain several higher value services with specific SLAs, increasing the service revenues.
types of valuable advantages:
Better customer satisfaction and thereby reduced churn

Reduced investment and operational costs Massive scalability can easily be attained through the WDM functionality
The network will have fewer physical units through the integration of in an optical/Ethernet platform, where multiple services can be assigned
Layer 1 and Layer 2 transport functions in the same hardware platform. to the same wavelength or assigned to their own specific wavelengths.
The integration reduces packaging and cabling costs as well as all types New wavelengths can be added on an as-needed basis. Support for scal-
of inventory. The integrated approach reduces network complexity and ing Ethernet services is the most important requirement since Ethernet
lowers the OPEX significantly. traffic will constitute the great majority of future growth in bandwidth
requirements. With an integrated packet-optical platform, it is very easy
Efficient aggregation of Ethernet traffic can solve the problem of to upgrade transport capacity as customer demand grows.
underutilized WDM channels at the edge of the network. By filling the
pipes packet-optical transport increases the utilization of the available End-to-end OAM is important to ensure reliability and resiliency of the
bandwidth and ensures an efficient handover to the core network at a transport underlying the services carried over the network. It is important
lowered cost. to ensure both SLAs and service objectives that are internal to the service
operator and those that might explicitly be offered to a subscriber. Effi-
If the network can distinguish between high value IP services and legacy cient tools for operations and maintenance are vital to achieve customer
traffic, it is possible to offload legacy traffic to the most cost effective satisfaction.
transport at Layer 1 avoiding the consumption of equipment ports with
higher complexity and cost, except where needed.
2.5.2 Advantages of Transmodes Native Packet Optical
2.0 architecture
Potential for additional service revenues
Packet-optical transport provides many advantages as described previ-
Service awareness is critical if the differentiated QoS requirements of
ously. But other characteristics more related to the actual implementa-
new multimedia applications and cloud services are to be met end-to-
tion of the packet-optical nodes used in the network are also of signifi-
end throughout the network. To do that, it is important to retain service
cant importance. Native Packet Optical 2.0 combines Transmodes long
transparency, i.e. to leverage all existing information present in Ethernet
and recognized optical network experience with outstanding Ethernet/

Layer 2 capabilities, including MEF Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE2.0) services, IEEE1588v210 is a common standard to deliver both phase and frequency
MPLS-TP and OTN compatible transport. And the elements of the Native information over a packet network, but it is sensitive to packet delay
Packet Optical 2.0 architecture are truly optimized for the best and most variation (jitter). IEEE1588v2 can be deployed over any legacy Ethernet
cost efficient implementation of packet-optical transport networks. network, but it may rapidly lead to quality problems if jitter becomes too
high. With the jitter-free and transport centric Transmode implementa-
tion of network nodes, IEEE1588v2 will converge fast and can deliver the
A lean and transport centric implementation required timestamps.
of the Ethernet/Layer 2 functions
The packet mode functionality of a packet-optical node may include
anything from a simple Ethernet bridge to a full fledge IP router and Low latency
more. When implementing a transport focused packet-optical node, it is Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders are designed for transport and
of utmost importance to select an optimal level of functionality for the capacity; no central switching fabric, no input queues and no network
transport task. Including superfluous functions adds both to equipment processors limiting performance. This results in minimum delay and
cost and operational complexity, especially in the aggregation and metro/ no jitter within the Ethernet Muxponders and a network. The ultra-low
regional segment of the network having the majority of the network latency has significant value overall, and is crucial in certain applications
nodes. On the other hand, the node must include sufficient features to e.g. between data centers and in algorithmic trading applications for the
make service differentiation, OAM and necessary resilience possible. financial world. Additionally, the stability and low latency of the Ethernet
Muxponders add minimal jitter and delay in mobile backhaul applications,
Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders and other Layer 2 equipment in the enabling more and longer radio hops when a combined wireless
Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture have all been designed with this and wired backhaul network is being deployed.
balance in mind. Functionality of value in a metro aggregation or metro
core network, such as the capability to handle MPLS-TP is included, while
most of the complex IP handling has been omitted. Low power consumption
Energy costs can be a significant item in the OPEX of any telecommuni-
cations network. The hardware elements of the Native Packet Optical
Efficient transport of synchronization information 2.0 architecture have all been designed with this in mind, having typical
Accurate synchronization, especially in mobile networks is essential. power consumption as low as less than 7W per 10-Gigabit Ethernet for
As an example, 3G and LTE networks need an accurate timestamp example.
as well as frequency synchronization while GSM only requires frequency
synchronization. Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders fully support the
ITU-T synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) standards for distribution of timing
signals throughout the packet-optical network. 10
he IEEE 1588 standards describe a hierarchical master-slave architecture for clock
T
distribution in computer networks originally known as the Precision Time Protocol
(PTP).

Not only does the low power consumption save direct energy costs.
For every 10 W of heat generated by the equipment, up to an additional
2.6 Migrating legacy TDM services
5W is required for cooling purposes in a typical telecom environment. to Ethernet
This means that for every 10W consumed power saved, air-conditioning
requirements can be lowered by as much as 5W, a further 50% saving 2.6.1 One common infrastructure for Ethernet
on energy. and legacy TDM services
SDH and SONET optical transmission systems based on TDM technology
have been the basis for many telecommunication services offered during
Multi-layer management the last few decades. However, from a bandwidth perspective, Ethernet
Transmodes multi-layer management suite Enlighten enables unified based traffic has already surpassed the amount of legacy TDM traffic.
Layer 1 and Layer 2 Operations, Administration and Maintenance of the Operators are faced with the challenging task of maintaining existing
packet-optical network. Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 archi- TDM-services while upgrading networks for new Ethernet services, all in
tecture supports the full range of operations, administration and main- the most cost efficient way. Network upgrades are required to cater for
tenance functions defined by MEF for Carrier Ethernet 2.0. Furthermore, the growing amount of packet mode traffic generated by Internet access,
the architecture is fulfilling the requirements of ITU-T Recommendation video on demand and cloud computing, while the shrinking amount of
Y.1731, which additionally addresses performance management. TDM traffic has to be taken care of to sustain revenues from the existing
services. Building a separate new infrastructure for the Ethernet traffic
while maintaining a shrinking SDH/SONET network is one option, but an
integrated approach where the new packet mode network also provides
the legacy TDM services, is an attractive alternative.
Figure 25. Migration towards a single, packet-oriented, transport infrastructure

for all services.

Many TDM services running over SDH/SONET systems can be replaced
by Ethernet equivalents, and are well suited for the packet-optical
infrastructure described in the previous sections. However, there is a sig-
nificant portion of the traffic that cannot be simply migrated to Ethernet.
This fact creates a dilemma for network operators as the SDH/SONET
systems start to reach end of life or if a large SDH/SONET network must
be supported for a small number of services or customers.
Transmodes packet-optical platform offers several alternatives for the

handling of legacy, TDM-based services in a way that greatly facilitates a
gradual shift towards one common, packet mode, Ethernet infrastructure
for all traffic.
yyExisting Layer 1 services carried over SDH/SONET networks can be

transported totally separately from the Ethernet services using Figure 26. SDH/SONET transport alternatives in Transmodes Native Packet
different wavelengths, while still using the same WDM platform Optical 2.0 architecture.
and optical transmission network. Transmodes TM-Series platform
includes powerful ROADMs for flexible handling of the optical paths
and muxponders/transponders that adapt SDH/SONET traffic to
2.6.2 Using the iSFP to convert SDH/SONET services
optical transport. for Ethernet transport
The Intelligent SFP (iSFP) is used to deliver TDM services over a network
yyLayer 1 services based on STM-1/OC-3 and STM-4/OC-12 can easily be built for Carrier Ethernet services. It provides circuit emulation
adapted for transport over Ethernet through the use of Transmodes of 155Mbit/s or 622 Mbit/s TDM services (STM1/OC3 or STM4/OC12)
Intelligent SFP (iSFP) pluggable optics that provide circuit emulation over a SyncE capable Carrier Ethernet Network.
over a SyncE capable Ethernet. The iSFP modules can be fitted into any
Gigabit Ethernet port of Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders, allowing The iSFP module performs packetizing of the SDH/SONET service, con-
a very flexible and tactical service migration. verting a STM-1/OC-3 service into a 170 Mbit/s Ethernet stream or a STM-
4/OC-12 service into a 680 Mbit/s stream, creating a transparent bit pipe
between two locations in the packet-optical network. The existing SDH/
SONET service is transparently migrated to the Carrier Ethernet Network
with service adaption at the edge of the network and standard Ethernet
frames used between these locations.

The TDM traffic is mapped into an Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC) that The two directions of the service can either operate as two independent
can either be transported as an Ethernet Service VLAN or via an MPLS-TP timing domains or one direction can be frequency locked to the other
service. Transmodes Ethernet Muxponders can be used to perform layer direction.
2 aggregation to ensure full utilization of higher speed 10G Ethernet con-
nections. The applied Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet (TSoP) adaption Transmodes Enlighten also supports synchronization management and
is currently outlined in an open Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) draft. monitoring. Probes can be deployed in the network to monitor the SyncE
quality in the network, which is used as a reference for both ends of the
This TSoP transport ensures complete transfer of the data and payload transparent SDH/SONET service. It can also be used to monitor the SDH/
structure, all overhead bytes, protection protocols and synchronization SONET sync quality of the connected systems to provide reassurance of
at both STM-1/OC-3 and STM-4/OC-12. the sync in the TDM service that is carried over the Ethernet network.
Figure 27. Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet (TSoP).
Figure 28. Using SyncE as a reference for SDH/SONET differential clock recovery.
Synchronization
Network synchronization is the cornerstone of the SDH/SONET network.
Here the quality of the underlying Ethernet network can be critical. Protection
Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture provides excellent To maintain the SDH/SONET protection, the existing ASON and SNCP
Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) performance due to patented innovations protection schemes are replaced by MPLS-TP and Ethernet protection
in circuit design. options. Protection is supported with MPLS-TP for topologies such as ring,
mesh and partial mesh. Also Ethernet protection is supported with ring
In Transmodes iSFP solution SDH/SONET sync transport is provided (ERPS) and point to point (LAG) options, as described in chapter 4.4.
with the Differential Clock Recovery (DCR) mechanism transferring the
SDH/SONET clock to the transparent emulated service with SyncE as These mechanisms provide comparable protection with equivalent,
a reference in both ends. DCR transfers the synchronization clock to if not better, switching speed performance than traditional SDH/SONET
the emulated service and extracts it again at the far end of the service. protection schemes.

2.7 Multi-layer network management Coordinated handling of the optical and Ethernet layers of the network
calls for a multi-layer management system. The structure of such a system
Many of the advantages of packet-optical networking originate from the
must follow a well thought through and standardized architecture, while
ability to manage both the Layer 1 optical channels and the Layer 2 Ethernet
also being designed for ease of use and with the network operators in
services of the network in a coordinated way. Only then can services
mind. Transmodes multi-layer management suite, Enlighten, provides
be created end-to-end, having their optical channels established at the
network operators with full control of their integrated packet-optical
same time as the Ethernet service attributes are assigned to the Ethernet
network and supports planning, deployment and operation of the net-
Virtual Connections using them. Importantly, it is only then possible to
work in the most cost efficient and rational way.
efficiently monitor the performance of an Ethernet service and determine
if a fault originated in the optical or in the packet switching elements
of the network.
2.7.1 Transmodes multi-layer management
suite Enlighten
Enlighten is the multi-layer management suite for managing Transmodes
optical and packet-optical transport networks. It provides a full range
of management tools helping operators with the tasks throughout the
entire service and networks life cycle such as planning, deploying and
operating a packet-optical network and its services.
Furthermore, Enlighten has been designed in accordance with the

principles of the Business Process Framework (eTOM), published by the
TM Forum (TMF, formerly TeleManagement Forum). eTOM is a guidebook
that defines the most widely used and accepted standard for business
processes in the telecommunications industry. The eTOM model
Figure 29. An Ethernet service in a packet-optical network is created over multiple
layers of underlying connections that need to be managed in a coordinated way. describes the full scope of business processes required by a service
provider and defines key elements and how they interact.

Figure 30. The eTOM Business Process Framework. Source TM Forum. Figure 31. Transmodes Network Manager, TNM.
The Enlighten multi-layer management suite provides support TNM provides a centralized system for operations, administration and
for processes in the Operations area of the process map in Figure 30 management of the entire packet-optical network and hides the com-
and comprises the following entities: plexity of the underlying equipment to higher order business support
yyThe Transmode Network Design Tool (TNDT) systems. Its integrated management capabilities also provide the founda-
tion for service management of individual end-to-end connections. TNM
yyThe Transmode Planning Tool (TPT)
increases the visibility of the network and simplifies many repetitive tasks
yyThe Transmode Network Manager (TNM) which increase the performance of the network while lowering opera-
yyThe Embedded Node Manager (ENM) tional expenses.
yyThe Enlighten Ecosystem
yyThe Enlighten Portal
A central element in the Enlighten management suite is the Transmode
Network Manager (TNM), a cost-effective and scalable carrier class,
service, network and element management system based on the ITU-T
recommendation M.3010.

2.7.2 Network management principles Transmodes network management philosophy fully adheres to the
Management of a communications network comprises many diverse relevant TM Forum standards. For integration with back-office support
actions, which classically have been grouped into five main categories, systems, TNM provides TM Forum Frameworx compliant web-services
the FCAPS suite: interfaces based on the TMF608 model. These interfaces hide the
yyFault management (F) encompasses functions for detecting complexity of the underlying optical network and reduce the time, risk
failures and isolating the failed equipment, including the restoration and costs associated with systems integration.
of connectivity.
TNM provides the following full suite of MTOSI 2.011 compliant interfaces:
yyConfiguration management (C) refers to functions for making orderly yyInventory
and planned changes within the network. An important part of
configuration management is keeping an inventory of equipment, yyAlarms
software releases etc. in the nodes. yyActivation/Provisioning
yyAccounting (or administration) management (A) deals with functions yyPerformance statistics
that makes it possible to bill users for the network resources they use.
yyPerformance management (P) comprises functions for monitoring 2.7.3 A unified information model for multi-layer
and fine tuning the various parameters that measure the performance
of the network and forms the basis for service level agreements with
management
At the center of Transmodes multi-layer management architecture
the network users.
is the unified information model. There are several standards for modeling
yySecurity management (S) refers to administrative functions for multi-layer networks: The ITU-T G.805 recommendation provides
authenticating users and setting access rights and other permissions a description of circuit switched network connections through a multi-
on a per-user basis. layer network while the G.809 recommendation provides the same but
for connectionless networks. G.805 and G.809 provide generic methods
A great deal of standardization of management procedures has taken for modeling and describing networks from a functional and structural
place among operators and their vendors to facilitate network opera- architecture perspective.
tions. Organizations such as TM Forum have developed extensive
specifications of management functionality, interfaces and protocols.
Multi-Technology Operation Systems Interface (MTOSI) is a TM Forum standard

11
for implementing interfaces between Operations and Support Systems (OSS).

The G.805/G.809 model can be mapped into management informa- The fact that there is one single, unified information model from the fiber
tion models using the equipment management functions specified in up to the Ethernet service is the enabler of unified management and of
the TMF608 (MTOSI 2.0) model. Management information models are all the operational benefits from using a truly integrated packet-optical
specifically important because they formally define and describe the network. In a network with a separate Layer 1 and Layer 2 service delivery
reference points that the operators Operations and Support System (OSS) a unified view must be achieved in a higher order OSS through integration
must interact with in order to manage a piece of transport equipment. of multiple systems. The unified information model enables all admin-
istrative and management actions such as planning, provisioning and
The unified information model allows the entire network to be modeled operations to be performed across Layer 1 and Layer 2.
all the way from the optical fibers run in the ducts up to the services
created on top of them, including all the OSI layers in between. At the
bottom of the multi-layer information model used by Transmode is the 2.7.4 Layer 2 Service Provisioning
TMF608 model for the Layer 1 network. Upon the Layer 1 model the higher For networks with Layer 2 equipment, the Transmode Network Man-
order models for connection oriented Ethernet (q-in-q), MPLS-TP and the ager (TNM) offers a provisioning module that provides point-and-click
multi-point Ethernet models are added, as indicated in Figure 32. provisioning for both Ethernet SVLANs and MPLS-TP paths. The provision-
ing module provides point-and-click creation of tunnels, Label Switched
Paths (LSPs) and pseudowires which automates the configuration process
and reduces the time and cost to provision resources and services.
To be able to deliver and provision a Layer 2 service, the optical channels

must also be configured. One advantage with TNM multi-layer manage-
ment is that the operator can provision an optical channel by the same
management system before configuring a Layer 2 service, effectively
speeding up the entire provisioning process.
2.7.5 Layer 2 Service Assurance

A Carrier Ethernet Network must provide the ability to monitor, diagnose
and centrally manage the network, using standards-based vendor inde-
pendent implementations. Transmodes TNM takes this one step further
by offering management across the layers to further simplify manage-
ment, increase visibility of the network and reduce operational costs.
Figure 32. Transmodes multi-layer management architecture is based on a unified
Layer 1 and Layer 2 information model.

The Layer 2 assurance module of TNM extends the management systems
operational model and well-known management processes from Layer 1
into Layer 2. The module is plug-and-play on top of the Layer 1 assurance
module and does not only add Layer 2 management capability but also
provides integrated Layer 1 and Layer 2 management from one unified
graphical interface.
Performance management of a Layer 2 network comprises the measur-

ing of throughput, delay, jitter, and packet loss for a particular service.
To define the end points between which such measurements are taken,
Maintenance Entity Groups and Maintenance End Points are defined as
described in section 4.7.4.
The assurance module provides a complement to established Ethernet

standards for fault management such as IEEE 802.1ag (Connectivity Fault
Management, CFM). The goal of CFM is to monitor an Ethernet network
and pin-point where a problem occurs while the TNM provides a graphical
multi-layer user interface to help in quickly finding the exact root-cause
of a networking problem independent whether it occurs on Layer 1 or
Layer 2. Figure 33. TNM multi-layer view of an Ethernet Virtual Connection.
The assurance module discovers and tracks the operational state of the
Layer 2 services and the underlying Layer 1 paths supporting the services.
Fault information is indicated not only on the map but also graphically
for individual paths, links and ports. If the origin of a networking problem
resides on Layer 1, the user can turn to the features in the Layer 1 assurance
module to quickly resolve the problem without having to change system
or interface. The module also presents G.826 performance statistics
for Layer 1.

2.8 Software Defined Networking (SDN) Software defined networking increases the flexibility of the physical
network because the network services can be created dynamically
and Network Virtualization by the controller and the image it has of the network, rather than by
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an approach to computer network- direct manipulation of the physical switches, routers etc. The SDN
ing that allows network administrators to manage network services controller thus enables network virtualization, i.e. it integrates the status
through abstraction of lower OSI level functionality. This is done by of the physical network resources and the network functionality into
decoupling the system that makes decisions about where traffic is sent a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Network
(the control plane) from the underlying system that forwards traffic to the virtualization as defined by ITU-T Y.3011 enables the creation of such
selected destination (the data plane). Instead of being executed in each logically isolated virtual networks over shared physical networks, so
network element, the functions of the control plane are centralized to that multiple virtual networks can simultaneously coexist over the same
one or more SDN controllers. SDN allows network administrators to have physical resources.
a programmable and central control of network traffic flows.
Network virtualization brings a higher degree of abstraction to the trans-
port network, an abstraction which is favorable when it comes to mobility
of resources, service creation and management, especially in the context
of cloud computing: The flexibility of the virtual network matches the
dynamic reconfiguration capabilities of computing and storage in cloud
computing. Network virtualization also offers the owner of the physical
network the possibility to delegate more of the network control to the
service providers using his network, as indicated in Figure 35.
Figure 34. Software defined networking. Control of the network is separated from the
network equipment and placed in an SDN controller.

Software defined networking requires some method for the control plane
to communicate with the data plane. One such mechanism, OpenFlow,
is often misunderstood to be equivalent to SDN, but several other
mechanisms also fit into the concept. Path Computation Element (PCE)
is a less disruptive way to achieve SDN than OpenFlow. Compared to the
OpenFlow architecture, which places all control in the control plane, the
PCE approach only moves the path-finding functions of the control plane
to the controller while retaining the other control plane functionality in
the elements of the physical network.
The PCE model enables network operators to customize the actual path
computation algorithms that are currently integrated in, for example, rout-
er operating systems. The traditional path computation architecture gives
Figure 35. Network virtualization allows two service providers to see different virtual
networks based on the same physical infrastructure. operators little, or no, scope to radically change or to routinely increment,
path computation. PCE server products provide open software APIs, to
allow operators to customize or replace path algorithms. These interfaces
allow the OSS to influence network behavior via the PCE server, instead of
using direct communications with every network element. The increased
flexibility and openness for customization enables operators to address
the rapid change of pace set by todays applications and traffic flows.

Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture already allows
for multi-layer management of traffic flows, including centralization
of certain control functions as indicated in the left side of Figure 36.
Transmodes approach towards SDN comprises of an expansion of the
architecture as shown on the right side of the same figure. An SDN
controller entity, including PCE, topology database and virtual router
functions, is introduced as a layer between the physical network and the
management system. Furthermore, the SDN entity is given standardized,
open software interfaces, which make it possible for other, higher level,
management systems and other, external, SDN-compatible networks to
interact with the SDN controller entity. The SDN entity as such may be
located in a single central node, or distributed to multiple sites
in the network.
Figure 36. The SDN approach chosen by Transmode.

The introduction of the SDN controller entity enables a seamless integra-
tion with other software defined networks and is an excellent foundation
for the virtualization of higher order networks and services. For example,
having virtual router functions, a Transmode packet-optical network can
interact with the protocols of a Layer 3 IP-network, dynamically assigning
transport network capacity to routes as requested by the routers of the
Layer 3 network.

3. Applications
of packet-optical
networking
3.1 Chapter summary 3.2 Ethernet services for enterprises
Packet-optical networks providing Carrier Ethernet services are rapidly
becoming a primary infrastructure for telecommunications network
Business Ethernet
operators. The versatility of packet mode Ethernet services in combination
with the capacity and scalability of optical transport have proven to be
3.2.1 Serving enterprise customers
The enterprise Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
a winning combination in a variety of applications. In this chapter we take
landscape is constantly changing. New IP based voice and video services,
a brief look on some of the areas where the packet-optical technology
cloud computing, and distributed data centers add new requirements
has already proven its superiority.
on the enterprise wide area data network (WAN), especially in terms of
increased bandwidth and enhanced performance. Legacy WAN connec-
tivity technologies such as frame relay (FR) and ATM12 are gradually being
phased out by many network operators. And wide area connectivity based
on TDM13 leased lines does not provide the operational flexibility expected
by the modern enterprise.
As ICT managers look for solutions, Ethernet services such as the MEF
defined Carrier Ethernet services have emerged as an attractive alterna-
tive to provide businesses with a best of breed, cost-effective, wide area
networking solution for enterprise ICT applications. Ethernet standards
from the MEF, ITU and IEEE have now added features and functionalities
that make Ethernet a WAN capable technology. And the potential of
Ethernet services has already been discovered by industries such as
finance, healthcare, education, government, IT, retail, real estate, legal,
media and more.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

12
13
Time Division Multiplexing.
46 Applications of packet-optical networking transmode

An increasing number of network operators are offering MEF-compliant 3.2.2 A network for Business Ethernet
Carrier Ethernet services. In many cases, these services are replacing some Figure 38 shows the principal elements of a typical packet-optical
of the operators legacy technologies (such as FR and ATM) while in other network deployed by a network operator providing Carrier Ethernet
cases they are co-existing alongside other established wide area network- services for enterprises. The optical aggregation and metro networks
ing technologies, such as Layer 3 virtual private network services also use WDM as the underlying transport technology and are enhanced
referred to as IP-VPN services. with Ethernet switching functions to carry Ethernet traffic between
the subscribers LANs and other data networks as needed.
For the network operator, Ethernet services offer an additional business
opportunity, especially if Carrier Ethernet can be implemented in a cost
efficient way on the same equipment already used to provide Layer 1
transport services. The enterprise demand for Ethernet services is pro-
jected to have a continued rapid growth and reach a value of almost 45
Billion USD worldwide in year 2015. Transmode and other packet-optical
equipment vendors are actively enabling this important transition.
Figure 37. Forecasted revenues from Ethernet services purchased by enterprises. Figure 38. Transmodes offering for operators providing Ethernet services to enterprises.
transmode Applications of packet-optical networking 47

The integrated packet-optical network enables both transparent Layer 1 The Ethernet Demarcation Unit (EDU) is designed for minimal delay
services and more advanced Layer 2 (Carrier Ethernet) services. Having the and jitter, giving unprecedented QoS and SLA fulfillment. The EDU
optical network as the base makes it possible to support a broad range of includes highly accurate and precise OAM and performance monitoring
traditional Layer 1 transport services. And thanks to the integrated Layer2 through microsecond resolution and per service visibility for all key OAM
functions it is also possible to offer the enterprise a wide range of Ether- and SLA parameters, enabling individual SLA monitoring and service
net services with different bit rates, QoS and Service Level Agreements differentiation.
(SLAs), using bandwidth profiles and various protection and monitoring
functions. The packet-optical network is ideally suited to support a multi- The Ethernet Muxponders are scalable up to 100G and also optimized
tude of enterprise subscribers, each having their own individual require- for ultra-low latency and jitter. They can be equipped with long reach
ments on the characteristics of the wide area service they want to buy. interfaces prepared for integration with OTN transport core, have fast,
flexible and future-proof OAM processing and are fully integrated with
Transmodes portfolio for Carrier Ethernet services includes both demar- the optical transport platform of the TM-Series.
cation units (EDU and NID) which can be placed at the customer site
(CPE) and Ethernet Muxponders (EMXP), i.e. muxponders with integrated All TM-Series equipment is managed by Enlighten, the multi-layer
Layer 2 functions and located in the network nodes. All units are fully management suite, which includes advanced functions for seamless
MEF certified for Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) services and form an inte- planning, provisioning and management of Carrier Ethernet 2.0
gral toolbox for the creation of a state of the art packet-optical network. compliant services.
Furthermore, the EMXPs are seamlessly integrated with other traffic units
and optical units in Transmodes TM-Series, forming a true packet-optical
network.

The infrastructure delivering the operators services is typically divided
3.3 Aggregation of IP traffic IP backhaul into an access network, an aggregation network and a core network.
yyThe access network must serve millions of end-points, each requiring
3.3.1 IP based services over a common infrastructure a finite capacity, while leveraging the available access medium
Fixed and mobile networks provide telecommunications services to end
in an optimal way.
users, services generated by the operators themselves and by external
entities. The services can be Internet access, telephony with access to yyThe aggregation network collects traffic from a large number of end
the PSTN and consumer access to TV and media streams. Increasingly users that is coming from hundreds or thousands of access nodes in
all these services are built on the IP suite of protocols, and service the access networks, smoothing the individual peaks and troughs of
provisioning to an end user increasingly becomes equivalent of enabling traffic into a smoother average traffic flow. Packet-optical technolo-
the flow of IP traffic to and from the subscriber. gies can bring significant benefits to this part of the FMC common
infrastructure.
Much of the telecommunications operators efforts today are centered yyThe core network routes and distributes traffic between aggregation
on creating seamless services working over both the fixed and the mobile
networks and a finite number of entities implementing the higher
networks Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC). One important element
layers of the services, i.e. data centers, servers and other networks.
of the operators FMC strategy is to use a common transport infrastructure
of packet-optical equipment for all IP services, irrespective of if access is
fixed or mobile. This simplifies the implementation of common higher 3.3.2 A lean and transport centric aggregation network
layer service entities, and reduces both CAPEX and OPEX. The role of the aggregation network is to transport IP traffic from a large
number of access nodes to much fewer core nodes. Traditionally this task
has been performed by SDH/SONET links and WDM wavelengths, but
a more capacity efficient aggregation network is accomplished when
using Ethernet services to aggregate multiple traffic streams. Ethernet
leverages the inherent possibilities for statistical multiplexing of much
of the data traffic and fills the available bandwidth pipes more efficiently.
That is why Transmode recommends the use of native Ethernet and
MPLS-TP in the aggregation network.
Figure 39. Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) uses a common transport infrastructure
for IP traffic from mobile users and users in the home and enterprise.

Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture, implemented with
the TM-Series and Enlighten, is optimized for transport and does not
introduce unnecessary complexity or extra IP functions. It is designed
for Ethernet transport (Layer 2) according to the MEF CE 2.0 specification
providing:
yyHigh bandwidth utilization
yyLow latency necessary for IPTV, IP-telephony, video on demand
and mobile backhaul
yySupport for both point-to-point and multicast applications
yyLayer 2 performance management (utilization, latency, jitter,
Figure 40. Aggregation of IP traffic over a packet-optical infrastructure. The aggre- packet loss)
gation network can be made less complex and given better performance if the IP
functionality is restricted to the end nodes, i.e. the access nodes and the routers yyEfficient synchronization (full Synch-E support)
of the core network.
yyExcellent protection and resilience (Link aggregation, ERPS,
MPLS-TP Linear Protection)
There is no need for advanced routing and filtering functions in the aggre- yyPredictable performance, making it easy to maintain and troubleshoot
gation network. Instead a carefully chosen combination of Ethernet yyLow power consumption
switching and optical functions should make the aggregation network
act as a bundle of wires carrying the traffic. Handling of the IP protocol,
including IP/MPLS, should be restricted to as few nodes as possible, i.e. to 3.3.3 The flexible optical network brings scalability
the core nodes and as needed in the access nodes. Such a consolidation Given the rapid demand for more bandwidth from consumers and enter-
of IP/MPLS reduces both cost and operational complexity. Furthermore, prises, the aggregation network requires flexibility to accommodate
the simpler processing of Ethernet frames compared to IP packets in the future growth. Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture
nodes of the aggregation network reduces delay and jitter, while making integrates the capacity of the optical WDM network seamlessly with
all traffic flows more predictable than in an IP network. the Layer 2 switching functions of a Carrier Ethernet network. It is easy
to upgrade the capacity of the transmission links between the nodes and
the switching capacity as needed following a pay-as-you-grow model.

For example, assume that the demand for bandwidth has been growing
extra fast at one particular remote node in the aggregation network. 3.4 Mobile backhaul
Thanks to the packet-optical integration of the TM-Series, an additional
express wavelength can easily be opened up for the high traffic node, 3.4.1 3G and 4G/LTE place new requirements
leading its Ethernet traffic direct to the core node, without loading any on mobile backhaul
intermediate switches. This has several benefits: The evolution of radio technologies for the air interface between user
yyOnly the high traffic node and the core node need to be upgraded equipment and the base station has meant a revolution in terms of data
there is no requirement for a fork-lift upgrade of the whole aggrega- access rates for mobile devices. The once single line display of a mobile
tion network, you pay-as-you-grow. phone has become the versatile 1920 * 1080 pixel screen of the intelligent
tablet. In parallel, the data rates per user have gone from a few kbit/s to
yyA dedicated wavelength for the additional traffic means minimal more than 100 Mbit/s. Simultaneously new radio spectrum made avail-
latency. able in combination with capacity and coverage requirements have led to
yyThe express wavelength can be equipped with error correction a smaller cell size with many more radio cells than just a few years ago.
(OTN-FEC) to cater for the longer distance now being passed.
The growth in data rates and the higher number of cells place an ever
yyProtection schemes can be implemented in the optical layer increasing demand for capacity and reach on the mobile backhaul
to improve resilience. networks, may they be implemented by microwave links, copper wires
Thanks to the integrated packet-optical functionality of the TM-Series or fiber. A primary challenge for the mobile operator is to dimension his
it is also possible to complement the EMXP with other types of mux- backhaul network to cope with the upcoming traffic demand, avoiding
ponders, should there be a need to transport legacy TDM traffic over making it a bottle neck for his mobile services and avoiding end user
yet another wavelength towards the core node for example. frustration over long response times and unpredictable performance.
Figure 41. An express wavelength is added to the aggregation networks to cater

for increased bandwidth demand from a remote node.

3.4.2 A backhaul network optimized for 3G and 4G/LTE
The most attractive backhaul offering for a mobile operator upgrading
to IP-based 3G and 4G/LTE services builds on established standards and
is optimized for packet mode transport. Using Ethernet as the packet
switching technology makes it possible to benefit from the cost rational-
ization of Ethernet equipment, create tailor-made backhaul offerings and
make maximum use of installed fiber.
Figure 42. The evolution of mobile devices places new requirements on the backhaul
networks.
2G mobile networks have traditionally relied on PDH/SDH technologies

and Layer 1 multiplexing for backhaul from the mobile base stations
to the core network. With the introduction of IP based 3G and 4G/LTE
Figure 43. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) services for mobile backhaul.
mobile networks, the demand for a Layer 2, i.e. an Ethernet based,
aggregation network has become evident for mobile operators. Moreover,
LTE introduces new requirements on how to synchronize and maintain Implementing Ethernet services, rather than IP/MPLS based services with
the network, and the mobile operators will require transport services similar characteristics, can make the necessary investments significantly
with more stringent service level agreements (SLAs). For a regional utility lower, especially if the Ethernet services can be implemented on the
carrier or local operator sitting on large assets of fiber, this constitutes an already deployed WDM platform such as the TM-Series. The Ethernet
important business opportunity if a network that allows the introduction products in Transmodes TM-Series are fully MEF CE 2.0 certified and have
of such services can be built in a cost effective manner. the functionality that makes it possible to implement all of the CE 2.0
service types shown in Figure 43.

Furthermore, a backhaul network implemented with the TM-Series
has the following characteristics of immediate importance for mobile
3.5 Switched video transport
operators:
yyMinimal latency and jitter. Latency and jitter have a cumulative effect
3.5.1 Streaming 3D and HD video to the home
A modern CATV operator offers a wide range of services over the trans-
as traffic passes through consecutive nodes in access rings, aggrega-
port infrastructure once built for TV distribution. Services encompass
tion networks and the core. Latency must be low, predictable and
both entertainment and communications for residential users as well as
stable, not varying with load, throughput or packet replication.
connectivity and value added services to enterprises. Some services, like
yyEfficient mechanisms for synchronization. Synchronization is critical LAN interconnect, may be created fully in-house by the CATV operator
in mobile backhaul networks as users move from cell site to cell site while others rely upon external networks, data centers and media hubs.
and expect uninterrupted service. Proper performance of the packet-
optical network is ensured through technologies such as SyncE and a A major trend in CATV networks is the rapid growth of traffic per end-
low latency design philosophy. user and in the overall network. The advent of streaming HD and 3D video
services and cloud computing has made IP traffic grow some 3050%
yyResilience. The network must include protection mechanisms that
per year. Network operators also feel the need to radically lower the cost
guarantee carrier class resilience against outages. A TM-Series net-
of their transport networks if they are to be profitable in the future, and
work support protection mechanisms such as link aggregation, ERPS
that requires reducing the costs without compromising on scalability,
and MPLS-TP linear protection to ensure maximum reliability.
efficiency, manageability, or the ability to offer differentiated services.
yyEfficient tools to manage the operational complexity. To be successful
in the long run it is also necessary to be in control and to operate the To meet these demands, network providers are going through a conver-
network in an efficient way. The Enlighten multi-layer management sion from analog to digital distribution technologies and packet-optical
suite has service aware and integrated Layer 1 and Layer 2 manage- networks. Packet-optical networks have been the industry consensus
ment functions that make the network easy to operate. Service answer to meet future needs, with the convergence of legacy and next
creation can otherwise be difficult for complex networks, but with generation services onto Ethernet.
Enlighten, setting up integrated Layer 1 services, MEF-based Layer2
services and MPLS-TP services is easy. The Enlighten Portal even
allows the mobile operator to monitor the performance of the
subscribed to services in real time.

increases and the service differentiation capabilities typically found in
Ethernet networks.
Transmodes EMXP family of Ethernet Muxponders allows operators

the use of features that are unique for demarcation, aggregation and
transport of Ethernet services. Enabling cost efficient increase of metro
network capacity, the EMXPs use packet optical technology for the best
transport network economics.
Transmodes Switched Video Transport implements IGMPv3 features to

listen to the IGMP15 network traffic between Edge QAMs and multicast
routers. By participating in the IGMP conversation and switching the
individual channels, the Transmode solution radically reduces the cost
Figure 44. New access nodes (CCAP) in CATV networks require robust, high capacity of the network. The IGMPv3 features, IGMP Snooping and Source-Specific
aggregation networks. Multicast, allow network traffic to be highly optimized, as a destination
only receives the traffic intended for it.
Essential for the transformation of CATV networks today is the intro-
duction of DOCSIS 3.014 compatible equipment and the development
of a new, super-dense, power- and space-saving access node architecture.
The new architecture, referred to as the Converged Cable Access Platform
(CCAP), combines the Edge QAM and Cable Modem Termination System
(CMTS) into one node. Such upcoming super nodes will require significant
amounts of bandwidth in the aggregation/distribution network; where
traditional CMTS and Edge QAM nodes could be served with 1 Gbit/s,
capacities of 10100 Gbit/s per CCAP will be required.
3.5.2 Transmodes solution for switched video transport

Transmodes Switched Video Transport solution is based on the Native
Packet Optical architecture. The integration of selected functionality
into the transport network equipment enables cost efficient capacity Figure 45. An overview of Transmodes Switched Video Transport solution, based
on a packet-optical aggregation network.
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. DOCSIS 3.0 has been ratified
14
Internet Group Management Protocol.
15
as ITU-T Recommendation J.222.

3.6 Data center interconnect With Storage Area Networks (SAN) and Ethernet fabric technology inside
the centers, there are demands to support lossless SAN and Ethernet
and cloud computing wide area interconnectivity over high capacity, low jitter optical links.
Data centers are the technology epicenter of many businesses today Transmodes 80 channel DWDM systems support transparent 10G
and the connectivity inside and between datacenters is pivotal to transport in addition to 40G and 100G signaling rates, future-proofing
business agility. Whether its moving an application, a set of users investments.
between sites or invoking a disaster recovery plan, high capacity flexible
connectivity is crucial to businesses that run multi-tenant data center For distributed data center organizations, Transmodes packet-optical
estates or that are moving towards cloud computing for their own technology enables a pay-as-you-grow approach, being able to start with
business use. two sites and as little as four wavelengths and adding nodes as demand
arrives without service interruption. If SLA management is required
Optical networks have since long been the prime type of media used for services, Transmodes Ethernet Demarcation Units can be deployed
when interconnecting data center sites distributed over a geographical to provide assurance on latency, jitter, delay, packet-loss, uptime and
metro or regional area. A prime challenge has always been protecting the throughput.
organization from physical breaks in the fiber infrastructure; hence the
move to diversity, tri-versity and even quad-versity between data center The TM-Series and Enlighten are a perfect fit for data center requirements,
locations. with an ultimate reach of up to 1500km and a mature optical manage-
ment platform that integrates Layer 1 and Layer 2 transport. Data center
interconnect with TM-Series nodes ensures that cloud, business continu-
ity and low latency applications delivery can be executed at highest speed
and managed under a single service orientated platform, ultimately
reducing the complexity and cost of the network.
Figure 46. Interconnection of distributed data centers via a wide area packet-optical
network. The packet-optical network combines ultra-high capacity, transparent, trans-
port of Ethernet and SAN traffic at Layer 1 with the transport of other Ethernet traffic
at Layer 2.

4. Ethernet
and Layer 2
technologies
4.1 Chapter summary Ethernet can be used in bus, star and mesh topologies and over a variety
of physical media, including coaxial cable, twisted pair copper cable,
Packet switching may come in many shapes, but in the context of packet-
wireless media, and optical fiber. Typical Ethernet data rates today are
optical networks for access and metro/regional applications, packet
100 Mbit/s (Fast Ethernet), 1 Gbit/s (Gigabit Ethernet or GbE) and 10
switching is almost synonymous with Ethernet switching and the use of
Gbit/s (10-Gigabit Ethernet or 10 GbE). Standards for 40 Gbit/s and
the Ethernet family of protocols. This chapter focuses on the character-
100 Gbit/s Ethernet were approved in 2010 and standards for Terabit/s
istics of Ethernet, and especially on how the original connectionless LAN
Ethernet are being developed.
protocols for Ethernet have been augmented to make Ethernet a con-
nection-oriented technology suitable for the use in wide area transport
networks, i.e. to make Ethernet into a Carrier Ethernet Network. Attention
is also paid to how to handle synchronization and how to create resilience 4.2.1 Ethernet mode of operation
in Ethernet networks. Systems communicating over Ethernet divide a stream of data into
individual packets called Ethernet frames. Each frame contains a source
This chapter is primarily intended as a tutorial and source of reference and a destination address and an error-checking code so that damaged
for those interested in general Ethernet and Layer 2 technologies used data can be detected and re-transmitted.
for wide area networking. More detailed information about Carrier
Ethernet can also be found at the Metro Ethernet Forum web-site:
http://metroethernetforum.org/
4.2 Ethernet basics Figure 47. The basic Ethernet frame (FCS: Frame Check Sequence used for error
Ethernet is a family of protocols and networking technologies originally control).17.
designed for local area networks (LANs) in the 1980s but now also widely
used for other topologies and distances. Standardized by IEEE16 in the IEEE 16
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
802.n family of standards, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired
LAN technologies and is today the dominating link layer protocol in data For Gigabit Ethernet some vendors provide equipment that support a jumbo frame
17
networks. option, where frames can have a data payload of up to 9 000 bytes.
18
Media Access Control.
58 Ethernet and Layer 2 technologies transmode

A basic principle of the original Ethernet standard is that destination Switched Ethernet removes the media contention and capacity problem
and source addresses refer to unique physical ports attached to the inherent to shared Ethernet, and reduces it to a contention problem
transmission medium, the MAC addresses which are permanently written within the switch, which needs to buffer frames from multiple users try-
into the hardware of every Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). ing to access the same destination simultaneously. Another advantage
The Ethernet protocol is concerned with the addressing, error checking of switched Ethernet is that switches can be made non-blocking, allowing
and transport of frames across a physical transmission link and referred for simultaneous traffic between several ports. Furthermore, each switch
to as a link layer or Layer 2 protocol.19 port now provides the full bandwidth of the Ethernet medium to the
connected station.
In shared Ethernet, the earliest mode of Ethernet operation, frames
were broadcasted to every possible receiver in a broadcast domain and a Basic Ethernet switches do not modify the Ethernet frames as they pass
mechanism called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection through and are generally much simpler than Layer 3 IP routers because
(CSMA/CD) was used to avoid collisions on the transmission medium.20 they operate at the link layer and do not run complex routing protocols.
Switches may also be both cheaper and faster than IP routers because the
In the 1990s the IEEE 802.3x standards for Ethernet defined full duplex switching function can be implemented entirely in hardware, rather than
operation between a pair of Ethernet stations, i.e. simultaneous trans- in software running on an expensive high-performance processor. Finally,
mission and reception of frames over a twisted copper pair or fiber pair. switches are simpler to manage than IP routers, since configuration does
At the same time a flow control mechanism called the MAC control not involve the same complexity as with routers.
protocol was introduced. If traffic gets too heavy, the control protocol
can pause the flow of frames for a brief time period.
Today practically all LAN and every WAN Ethernet are based on switched
Ethernet. In switched Ethernet all Ethernet stations have their own, indi-
vidual, full duplex, connection to a central switch (sometimes called multi-
port bridge). The switch has a forwarding table which matches Ethernet
stations MAC addresses with a corresponding switch port, and sends the
frame to the correct destination.
19
he number 2 refers to the second layer in the standardized ISO Open Systems
T
Interconnection (OSI) reference model for data communications.
20
I n CSMA/CD, the devices (called stations) can broadcast data over the medium
whenever it is idle. If more than one station transmit at the same time and signals
collide, the transmission is stopped by the involved stations, which will then wait
for some random time and then restart transmission. Figure 48. A meshed and switched Ethernet.
transmode Ethernet and Layer 2 technologies 59

In a meshed Ethernet, there are several paths between nodes, and frames
could be forwarded in infinite loops within the network, if no coun-
termeasures were taken. There must be one and only one open route
between each node of the network, and all other interconnecting ports
of the switches must be blocked. Such a one route network topology
is called a spanning tree. The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and the Rapid
Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) in the Ethernet standard are distributed
algorithms that can be run by the switches to form a spanning tree.
In wide area applications of Ethernet, e.g. Carrier Ethernet, other mecha-

nisms, such as Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) and manual
configuration of virtual connections, are used to ensure that there is only
one path between ingress node and egress node of the network. More
information about this can be found in section 4.4.2.
Figure 49. Three virtual LANs (green, blue and red) each with their own individual
4.2.2 Virtual LANs broadcast domains and interconnected by a router.
The task of the Ethernet switch is to move the frame from one LAN
segment to another based on the destination MAC address. If the address All Ethernet frames in a VLAN have a distinct identifier, called the VLAN
is unknown the frame is flooded to all the switch ports except the identifier (VID), located in a designated VLAN tag field, specified by the
incoming one. This creates one single broadcast domain per switched IEEE 802.1Q/p standard and inserted in the frame by the Ethernet switch.
network, which is a potential problem in larger networks since broadcast The full VLAN tag field is 4 bytes long and contains a Tag Protocol Identi-
frames are propagated and replicated throughout the entire network. fier (TPID) and a Priority Code Point (PCP), which indicates the frame
The problem of large broadcast domains as well as the security problem priority level.12 bits of the VLAN tag are available for VLAN identification,
of having all traffic available at every Ethernet station is overcome by the but two values are reserved, making a maximum of 4094 VLANs possible
introduction of virtual LANs. in one single switched network using the basic standard.
A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical group of Ethernet stations that appear

to one another as if they were on the same physical LAN segment, even
though they may be spread across a large network. Each Ethernet station
on a particular VLAN will only hear broadcast traffic from the other mem-
bers of the same VLAN. Using MAC address based VLANs makes it pos- Figure 50. IEEE 802.1Q/p encapsulation of the VLAN tag.
sible to let the VLAN span multiple switches. Interconnection between
VLANs may then be provided by Layer 3 devices such as IP routers.

VLANs can be used to implement virtual private networks (VPN) and The 100 in the media type designation refers to the transmission speed
VLAN frames include priority fields that may be used to create services of 100 Mbit/s. The BASE refers to baseband signaling, which means that
with different priorities, i.e. qualities. This feature is of particular interest only Ethernet signals are carried on the medium. The TX and FX refer to
in wide area applications where VLANs can be used to separate and clas- the physical medium that carries the signal.
sify traffic from different sources and users and to direct it along different
paths of the wide area network. The TM-Series traffic units support both the electrical 100BASE-TX
and the optical 100BASE-FX client interfaces.
4.2.3 Ethernet physical media (PHY)

The Ethernet standard comprises a data link layer and an Ethernet physical 4.2.3.2 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Physical Layer
media (PHY) part, the latter being specific for the transmission media and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) can be transmitted over shielded fiber cables and
data rate employed. When Ethernet is transported over a WDM wide area over shielded copper cables. It can also be transmitted over unshielded
network, the Gigabit Ethernet and the 10-Gigabit Ethernet PHY standards twisted pairs of copper. The transmission is set up to operate in full
are of most interest since these are the types of Ethernet deployed in duplex (most common) or half duplex mode. The standard defines a
metropolitan and other wide area networks. The Transmode TM-Series physical media dependent (PMD) sub layer which specifies the transceiver
includes transponders and muxponders that can be equipped with trans- for the physical medium in use. There are three types of PMDs for GbE:
ceivers supporting fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10-Gigabit Ethernet Short range, long range and shielded copper. The short range uses 850 nm
and 100-Gigabit Ethernet. light with a reach of 220 250m on multimode fiber. The long range PMD
uses 1310 nm light with a reach of 550m on multimode fiber and 5 km on
single mode fiber. The PMD for shielded copper reaches only 25m. For
4.2.3.1 Fast Ethernet (FE) Physical Layer unshielded copper, which is common in many office installations, multiple
Fast Ethernet, i.e. Ethernet at 100 Mbit/s, has two predominant physical twisted pairs are used to send multilevel signals in a way that extends
formats: 100BASE-TX that runs over two wire unshielded twisted copper the reach to 100 m.
pairs (UTP) and 100BASE-FX that runs over optical fiber. 100BASE-FX uses
1300 nm light transmitted via two strands of optical fiber, one for receive
and the other for transmit. Maximum length is 2 km over multi-mode
optical fiber.

Ethernet in the First Mile later added 1000BASE-LX10 AND BX10 4.3 Synchronization and circuit emulation
Name Medium Specific distance
1000BASE-CX Twinaxial cabling 25 meters
services over Ethernet
220 to 550 meters
1000BASE-SX Multi-mode fiber dependent on fiber dia-
meter and bandwidth
4.3.1 Synchronous and asynchronous transport
1000BASE-LX Multi-mode fiber 550 meters Packet switching technologies, including Ethernet, are inherently asyn-
1000BASE-LX Single-mode fiber 5 km chronous, i.e. incoming frames are received at one data rate (one rate
of bit/s), buffered and multiplexed with other frames over intermedi-
1000BASE-LX10 Single-mode fiber using 1,310 nm wavelength 10 km
1000BASE-ZX Single-mode fiber at 1,550 nm wavelength 70 km
ate links with higher data rates and delivered at yet another rate to the
receiver. There is no fixed relationship between the timing, phase or
1000BASE-BX10 Single-mode fiber, over single-strand fiber: 10 km
1,490 nm downstream 1,310 nm upstream frequency of the incoming bit stream and the outgoing bit stream from
1000BASE-T Twisted-pair cabling (Cat-5, Cat-5e, Cat-6, 100 meters the network.
or Cat-7)
1000BASE-TX Twisted-pair cabling (Cat-6, Cat-7) 100 meters
This is quite different from the principles of time division multiplexed
Figure 51. Gigabit Ethernet physical media. Source: Wikipedia. (TDM) transmission technologies such as PDH, SDH and SONET21 tradi-
tionally used in wide area transport networks. In TDM each stream of
The TM-Series traffic units support both the electrical (1000BASE-T) information to be transferred over the network is allocated a specific
and the optical (1000BASE-L) variants for single and multimode fiber timeslot in the transmission system, a procedure that requires careful
in the GbE physical layer when interfacing to client systems. frequency and phase synchronization of all intermediate network nodes
handling the flow of passing bits.
4.2.3.3 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Physical Layer
10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) can be transmitted over fiber optics and Today, services such as circuit switched telephony and the storage area
copper cables, but copper cables are only used over short distances such networks in datacenters are still based on TDM technologies, but increas-
as interconnections within a chassis. ingly this TDM traffic needs to be transported over packet-optical net-
works. It becomes necessary to emulate a traditional wireline circuit over
For fiber optic cables, the physical layer can be implemented in two main an Ethernet network and to maintain synchronization between the ingress
variants: LAN PHY and WAN PHY, optimized for use in local area and wide port and egress port of the Ethernet wide area network.
area networks respectively. Both the LAN PHY and the WAN PHY operate
over a short range, a long range, extended range or long reach PMD. Short Somewhere in every TDM network there is an extremely accurate
range uses 850 nm over multimode fibers up to 300 m; long range uses frequency source, a primary reference clock (PRC), from which all other
1310 nm and reaches 260 m on multimode and 10 km on single mode TDM clocks in the network directly or indirectly derive their timing, i.e.
fiber. The extended reach PMD uses 1550 nm and has a maximum reach 21
Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy, Synchronous Digital Hierarchy and Synchronous
of 40 km on single mode fiber.
Optical Networking respectively.

frequency. Clocks derived in this manner are said to be traceable to a PRC. interwork. Such an adaptation of TDM signals to be transported by a
The primary clock signal is distributed downwards through the network packet network is called a circuit emulation service and the entity perform-
in order to synchronize all necessary devices, which are normally grouped ing the adaptation is referred to as an interworking function (IWF).
into separate stratum clock levels; depending on how far from the origi-
nal PRC the device is located.
Figure 53. Emulation of a TDM circuit over a packet mode network. The Interworking
Functions provide the traffic interfaces for the TDM circuits.
Circuit emulation is closely related to the concept of pseudowires.

A pseudowire (PW) is an emulation of a point-to-point connection over
a packet switching network. The pseudowire emulates the operation of
a transparent wire carrying the service, but it must be realized that this
emulation rarely will be perfect. The service being carried by the pseudo-
wire may be SDH, SONET, ATM or frame relay, while the underlying packet
Figure 52. Stratum clock levels in a TDM network for circuit switched telephony. Clock network may be a Layer 2 network such as Ethernet, an IP network or an
signals may be distributed over several paths to ensure redundancy.
MPLS network. A pseudowire encapsulates incoming cells, bit streams
and protocol data units (PDUs) and transports them through tunnels set
up in the packet network.
The migration from such a synchronous TDM network to Ethernet-based
asynchronous transport introduces new challenges. When a packet net- In addition to the synchronization of frequencies required by TDM net-
work is to support TDM-based services, it must provide correct timing at works, other networks are dependent on having the exact same time
the traffic interfaces. The transport of the TDM signals through an Ether- in every node. Frequency is a relative entity, measured relative to
net requires that the signals at the output of the packet network comply a frequency standard, e.g. the PRC, with respect to jitter, wander and slip.
with the TDM timing requirements for the attached TDM equipment to Time represents an absolute, monotonically increasing value, generally

traceable back to the rotation of the earth (day, hour, minute, second).
Mechanisms to distribute absolute time in a network are significantly
different from what is used to distribute frequency and normally rely
upon the usage of time stamps being sent between nodes. Time stamps
may also in some network applications be used for the indirect genera-
tion of frequency (differential timing).
The most advanced requirements on synchronization in todays metro

networks are generated by the mobile backhaul traffic, which is depen-
dent on both frequency, phase and time synchronization. For example,
for 3GPP2 base stations, including those for LTE, the following require-
ments are typical:
yyA frequency accuracy of 0.05 ppm at the air interface
yy2.5 s time accuracy between neighboring base stations, i.e. 1.25 s Figure 54. Standards for synchronization over Ethernet. SyncE uses Ethernet PHY
difference to coordinated universal time (UTC) to transfer a reference frequency to every node. IEEE 1588v2 uses Ethernet frames
carrying time stamps to send current time of day to the nodes.
4.3.2 Synchronization standards Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE)

Two main principles and related standards are available for providing With synchronous Ethernet, a master slave architecture at the physical
synchronization across an Ethernet network: level is used to provide timing distribution from backbone to access
yySynchronous Ethernet (SyncE). An ITU-T standard using the nodes. A reference timing signal traceable to a PRC is injected into a back-
Ethernet PHY media to distribute timing (frequency). SyncE uses the bone Ethernet switch and this signal is then distributed to the next node
PHY clock transmissions and re-generates the clock signal from the which extracts timing from the incoming bit stream and synchronizes
incoming bit stream in a way similar to traditional TDM systems by the outgoing bit stream to this rate. Timing for TDM circuits transported
use of phase locked loop (PLL) circuitry. This approach requires SyncE over the packet network can be recovered at the appropriate interworking
support in every network node traversed by the Ethernet signal and functions (IWF) for the circuit emulation service.
does only provide frequency and phase synchronization, not time of
day synchronization. The Transmode TM-Series Ethernet Muxponders, the EMXP, used as nodes
yyPrecision Time Protocol (PTPv2) IEEE 1588v2. An IEEE standard in a Transmode packet-optical network, fully support the ITU-T synchro-
using Layer 2 embedded OAM22 packets with the highest priority nous Ethernet recommendations (G.8262/Y.1362 and others) for jitter and
to ship clock/phase and time of day information across a packet wander tolerances, supported frequencies, and clock specifications as
network. Special hardware is often used to process these packets for
higher accuracy, but the packets remain in standard Ethernet frames. Operations, Administration and Maintenance.
22

specified for Synchronous Ethernet Equipment Clocks (EEC). The EMXP from more than one master clock. IEEE 1588v2 packets fully comply with
is also compatible with ITU-T recommendation G.823 regarding clock Ethernet and IP standards and are backwards compatible with all existing
selection logic, possible clock quality levels, noise tolerances, noise Ethernet switching and IP routing equipment. There is no requirement for
generation and transfer limits, holdover performance etc. intermediate Ethernet switches traversed by the emulated circuit to be
IEEE 1588v2 aware as they see the timing frames as normal data.
The EMXP can do automatic synchronization source selection to improve
synchronization resilience. Synchronization Status Messages (SSM) The convergence time of the PTP protocol, i.e. the time it takes for the
between nodes are used to provide traceability of the synchronization protocol to achieve the desired level of synchronization, is dependent on
source. Network level SSM is defined in ITU-T recommendation G.781. the quality of the underlying packet network. Although the Transmode
The Ethernet Synchronization Messaging Channel (ESMC) is a communica- packet-optical Ethernet Muxponders are not directly involved in the
tion channel for the SSM and described in ITU-T recommendation G.8264. PTP/1588v2 protocol handling, the very low wander, jitter and delay within
an EMXP based packet-optical network makes the PTP protocol converge
In a Transmode packet-optical network the synchronous Ethernet func- extremely rapidly.
tion is entirely based on the Ethernet PHY media and its circuitry in the
Ethernet Muxponders. Using either of the Layer 2 traffic forwarding
mechanisms (see section 3.2) MPLS-TP Label Switch Paths or Ethernet Differential timing
service VLANs has no effect on timing or the ESMC. A physical Ethernet Timing recovery for a TDM circuit emulation service requires that the
interface using MPLS-TP will forward Synchronous Ethernet in the same timing of the signal is similar on both ends of the packet network, i.e. at
way as a physical Ethernet interface using an Ethernet UNI or NNI. the outside of the IWFs. The clock of the TDM service must be preserved
in such a way that the incoming service clock frequency is replicated as
the outgoing service clock frequency. In network-synchronous operation
Precision Time Protocol (PTP) IEEE 1588v2 the packet network operates fully synchronized using a PRC-traceable
IEEE1588 (PTP) enables sub-microsecond synchronization of clocks by clock, but this does not necessarily preserve the timing of the external
having a master clock sending multicast synchronization packets contain- TDM service. Using differential timing, the difference between the
ing time stamps. All IEEE 1588 receivers correct their local time on the external TDM service clock and the network reference clock is encoded
basis of the received time stamp and an estimate of the one-way delay and transmitted across the packet network. Differential timing makes it
from transmitter to receiver. possible to recover the external TDM service clock at the far end of the
packet network.
PTP is based on IP multicasting and can be used on any network that
supports multicasting. Precision is typically in the range of 100ns100s More information on timing recovery and transport of legacy TDM
depending on real-time capabilities of the end systems. The PTP standard services such as SDH and SONET over a Transmode packet-optical
can distribute time/phase, frequency or both. It is resilient because a network can be found in section 2.6 of this book.
failed network node can be routed around and the time can be taken

ing both the capacity and the availability of the communication channel
4.4 Ethernet protection between devices interconnected by Ethernet. Link aggregation can also
Wide area services, such as telephony, Internet access and video on
provide load balancing in which traffic is spread across several physical
demand, require a high level of availability; typically unavailability is
links in order to avoid the overload of any single link.
only tolerated for a few minutes per operating year. When failures occur
in the network, they are not supposed to be noticed by the subscriber.
The main purpose of an Automatic Protection Switching (APS) mechanism
is to guarantee the availability of back up resources and ensure that
switchover is achieved within milliseconds.
Protection switching can be implemented at various OSI layers of the

network: The optical transmission network may include alternative fiber
routes and protection switching at Layer 1. The Ethernet/Layer 2 can
perform protection switching, and there may exist protection mecha-
nisms also at higher OSI layers. This section deals with the Ethernet/Layer
2 protection mechanisms.
Figure 55. Link aggregation functional diagram.
The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)
of Ethernet can prevent loops and assure backup paths. However, both Most implementations of LAG now conform to what used to be clause
protocols are too slow to respond to network failures and not used 43 of the IEEE 802.3-2008 Ethernet standard, informally referred to as
in packet-optical networks23. Instead other mechanisms, such as Link 802.3ad. This includes the Transmode EMXP which has been interoper-
Aggregation Groups (LAG) and Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) ability tested against several other vendor solutions. With the Transmode
are more suitable. For Layer 2 networks employing MPLS-TP label EMXP it is possible to define a link aggregate group consisting of up to
switched paths (see chapter 2), even more advanced protection schemes 8ports. All ports in the group must have the same port speed.
such as MPLS-TP linear protection, are available.
4.4.2 Ethernet ring protection switching (ERPS)
4.4.1 Link aggregation (LAG) Ring based networks are often attractive since they can offer a simple
Link aggregation, as defined by IEEE 802.3ad, is a method for aggregating form of redundancy in a network consisting of many nodes. A redundant
path for each node is provided by just one additional link that closes two
two or more parallel physical transmission links to a Link Aggregation
adjacent branches to form a loop. However, Ethernet as such does not
Group (LAG), such that a Media Access Control (MAC) client can treat the
allow for loops since frames would circulate forever, so the loop has to be
group as if it were a single link. Link aggregation is capable of increas-
blocked at some point in the network. This can be accomplished by use of
Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS), as specified in ITU-T recommen-
23
Service restoration times of 30s or more are typical for STP. dation G.8032.

The Ethernet Ring Protection Switching available with the Transmode
EMXP based nodes provides sub-50ms protection for Ethernet traffic
using ring topology and ensures that there are no loops formed at the
Ethernet layer.
The Transmode EMXP based nodes can also support multiple rings, so
that several Ethernet protection switching rings may be joined at one
physical location. This makes the EMXP extremely useful for aggregation
Figure 56. Ethernet ring protection switching (ERPS) way of working. The solid line of traffic coming from multiple rings covering many sites, for example
between nodes C and D represents a Ring Protection Link (RPL). in a mobile backhaul network.
Version 2 of Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPSv2) adds some

An Ethernet ring is made up of two or more nodes interconnected via very useful additions. In ERPSv1 only revertive operation was supported.
transmission links. Each node has two links connected to its adjacent ERPSv2 adds non-revertive operation to minimize unplanned traffic hits.
nodes. To avoid loops, one of the links in the full ring is always blocked. ERPSv2 also adds Manual switch and Force switch operator administra-
This link, which is blocked under normal conditions, is called the Ring tive commands.
Protection Link (RPL). One of the nodes connected to the RPL is assigned
to be the RPL owner and is responsible to control the status of the link. In The most important addition is that ERPSv2 introduces more advanced
the example above the link between node C and node D is the RPL Ethernet ring interconnection architectures (multi-ring/ladder network)
and node C is the RPL owner. with the concepts of sub-rings. This adds the ability to have different
rings interconnected in at least 2 points, avoiding a single point of failure.
When a failure is detected, the RPL owner is responsible for un-blocking
the RPL and open it for traffic. A link failure can be detected by link down ERPSv2 has the ability to support multiple ERP instances on a single ring.
events or OAM frames e.g. loss of continuity. When the failure has been In combination with the possibility to allocate a specific set of VLANs to
detected, the ring is said to be in a Signal Failure (SF) state. The node a ring instance there are a number of new deployment possibilities:
detecting the failure condition will block the traffic on the failed link
yyPossible to mix with MPLS-TP backbone VLAN
and inform the other nodes of the ring.
yyCommon spans with other rings
When the nodes are informed about a ring failure, the learned MAC
yyMixing protected / unprotected VLANs
addresses are flushed. In the example above the nodes of the ring will
re-learn the destination MACs of the stations participating in the blue
traffic, which will now flow over the unblocked RPL.

4.5 Carrier Ethernet architecture To transport Ethernet traffic efficiently in metro and regional networks,
the carrier/network operator/service provider must establish an Ethernet
and services of his own a Carrier Ethernet Network24 that forwards traffic between
the customer LANs in the Ethernet way. Using Ethernet as the transport
4.5.1 Carrier Ethernet: Ethernet as a transport service mechanism requires addition of functions that transform the connection-
Legacy carrier networks provide transport services with very high avail- less and broadcast oriented Ethernet for LAN use into a more predictable
ability and predictable performance, using e.g. SDH or SONET multiplex- and circuit-like channel suitable for wide area networking.
ing schemes. Packet switched transport networks are different, as they
offer new services based on features such as asynchronous transport, The need for such a Carrier Ethernet had been recognized for some time.
statistical multiplexing and full connectivity between multiple end The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) was formed in 2001 by vendors and
points. The classical carrier grade characteristics, such as quality service providers to develop standards for ubiquitous LAN interconnect
of service, security and high availability have to be realized by new services over optical metropolitan networks. The principal concept was to
mechanisms in a packet network. bring the simplicity and cost model of Ethernet to the wide area network,
while adding stability, predictability and manageability. Since then, MEF
On the other hand, packet switched wide area networks, especially those has issued a wide range of technical specifications for Carrier Ethernet
based on Ethernet, offer many advantages to network operators: equipment, specifications that are adhered to by Transmode.
yyMost potential users of a WAN or MAN service have an Ethernet
based LAN and want to extend that LAN to multiple sites. It makes
sense for a carrier to offer Ethernet type transport services, since
customers are familiar with the protocol and their equipment already
have Ethernet interfaces.
yyEthernet is the all dominant Layer 2 data networking protocol, which
means that economies of scale have made Ethernet switching equip-
ment very attractive from a cost perspective. Naturally, carriers want
to take advantage of the continued performance and cost evolution
of the Ethernet technology.
yyMany non-Ethernet wide area technologies such as TDM, ATM, frame
relay etc. can be replaced or emulated by Ethernet alternatives, mak- Figure 57. Carrier Ethernet: A connection oriented version of Ethernet provided
ing a transport network based on Ethernet more uniform and less as a service to subscribing customers. (NID: Network Interface Device).
complex to operate than a network using multiple other technologies.
24
In many Metro Ethernet Forum technical specifications and some other literature
the Carrier Ethernet Network is referred to as a Metro Ethernet Network (MEN),
which is the same thing.

Metro Ethernet Forum defines a Carrier Ethernet Network as a set yyStandardized services. Carrier Ethernet provides four standardized
of certified network elements that are interconnected and provide service types (E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree and E-Access) that enable trans-
Carrier Ethernet Services, locally and worldwide. parent, private line, virtual private line and multi-point to multi-point
connectivity over the wide area network. The services are provided
In this context it is important to remember that the term Ethernet independent of the underlying transport protocols and media used,
is ambiguous and standardized in various ways by multiple interest groups. with a wide choice and granularity of bandwidth and quality of service
yyEthernet regarded as a point-to-point transmission link, i.e. options. The services requires no changes to customer LAN equipment
the physical characteristics of Ethernet framing and transmission. or networks and accommodates existing network connectivity such
This is the IEEE 802.3 scope and view. as time-sensitive TDM traffic and signaling while being delivered over
a single Ethernet connection between network and customer.
yyEthernet regarded as a packet switched network (PSN) infrastructure.
This is the 802.1 (bridging) view and also the managed Ethernet yyScalability. The scale of a customer LAN and the network of a service
network view by ITU-T SG15/SG13. provider are fundamentally different in terms of geographical reach,
number of users (end points) and bandwidth. Carrier Ethernet is
yyEthernet regarded as a service. This is the Metro Ethernet Forum scalable in all those dimensions, while allowing the service provider
scope and view. The Carrier Ethernet Services are concerned by the to use various underlying transport technologies to achieve the best
user-to-user transfer of Ethernet 802.3 frames over any available total economy.
physical transport layer.
yyReliability. Carrier Ethernet is resilient and reliable. Protection
A Carrier Ethernet Network is by definition a two-layer structure,
mechanisms are available to provide end-to-end and individual link
consisting of a physical transport layer, which can be WDM, SDH/SONET,
protection. The speed of recovery from failures is comparable to that
Ethernet physical (Ethernet PHY) or any other physical transport techno-
of SDH/SONET networks or better.
logy, and a pure Ethernet frame handling layer, the Ethernet MAC (ETH)
layer.25 The Ethernet services offered are created on top of transmission yyQuality of service. Carrier Ethernet supports delivery of critical
technologies such as e.g. WDM optical networks. The following discus- applications that are expected to meet high performance levels.
sion focuses on the Carrier Ethernet Services and the Ethernet MAC layer. The performance parameters of Carrier Ethernet are quantifiable
Details of how the Ethernet MAC layer is carried by the optical WDM layer and measurable so that they can be included in a Service Level
of the Transmode TM-Series are described in chapter 2, Packet-optical Agreement (SLA) for voice, video and data over converged business
networking. and residential networks.
yyService management. Carrier Ethernet service providers are
Metro Ethernet Forum has defined five main attributes of Carrier Ethernet
that distinguishes it from the familiar LAN-oriented Ethernet, and makes expected to manage large numbers of customers and their multiple
it suitable as a transport service offered by carriers. The five attributes are: services, spanning wide geographical areas. Carrier Ethernet includes
advanced capabilities for provisioning, maintaining and upgrading
the Ethernet services.
25
The ETH layer is sometimes referred to as the path layer.

Network is located at the customer site and acting as the actual physical
demarcation point of the service. Carrier Ethernet demarcation is a key
element in Carrier Ethernet networks as it enables service providers to
extend their control over the entire service path, starting and ending at
the customer hand off points.
The association between two or more UNI:s via the Carrier Ethernet
Network is referred to as an Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC). In the
Carrier Ethernet world, this association is the equivalent of a circuit
and it is the Ethernet Virtual Connection that is assigned the various
characteristics attributes that a customer subscribes to.
Figure 58. Carrier Ethernet attributes as defined by Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).
4.5.2 The Carrier Ethernet architecture

and terminology
A service provided by a Carrier Ethernet Network starts at one User Net-
work Interface (UNI) and ends at another UNI. The UNI is the point where
the service provider accepts and delivers Ethernet frames, i.e. a dedicated,
physical, demarcation point between the responsibility of the service
Figure 59. Carrier Ethernet basic concepts and terminology.
provider and the responsibility of the subscriber. The attached Customer
Equipment (CE) can be e.g. a router, a switch or a computer system and
the physical medium of the UNI can be copper, coax or fiber operating Sometimes an Ethernet Virtual Connection passes the networks of more
at 10 Mbit/s, 100 Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s or 10 Gbit/s according to the IEEE 802.3 than one service provider. The interface between two such service provid-
Ethernet PHY/MAC protocol. ers is referred to as an External Network to Network Interface (ENNI).
The UNI functions are divided between the Customer Equipment (CE) The Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC), i.e. the association between
and the provider edge equipment as the function sets UNI-C and UNI-N, two or more UNIs, performs two basic functions:
respectively. Sometimes the customer equipment does not support all yyConnects two or more subscriber sites (UNIs), enabling the transfer
the UNI-C functions; in such cases a Network Interface Device (NID) or of Ethernet service frames between them.
an Ethernet Demarcation Unit (EDU) belonging to the Carrier Ethernet

yyPrevents data transfer between subscriber sites that are not part of Two variants of Ethernet services are defined for each of the four main
the same EVC. This capability enables an EVC to provide data privacy Ethernet service types, differentiated by the method for service identifica-
and security similar to frame relay or ATM Permanent Virtual Circuits tion used at the UNIs. Services using port-based UNIs, i.e. there is only
(PVC). one UNI and EVC per physical port of the provider edge device, are
The Carrier Ethernet specifications allow for three types of Ethernet referred to as Private, while services using UNIs that are VLAN-based
Virtual Connections: Point-to-point EVC, Multipoint-to-multipoint EVC and and multiplexed over the same physical interface, are referred to as Vir-
Routed Multipoint (Point-to-Multipoint) EVC, which are used to create the tual Private. For example, an E-Line service that is port based is referred
Carrier Ethernet services. to as Ethernet Private Line (EPL).
Ethernet Port-based VLAN-based

Service Type (All-to-one bundling) (Service multiplexed)
E-Line Ethernet Private Line Ethernet Virtual Private Line
(Point-to-Point EVC) (EPL) (EVPL)
E-LAN Ethernet Private LAN Ethernet Virtual Private LAN

(Multipoint-to- (EP-LAN) (EVP-LAN)
Multipoint EVC)
E-Tree Ethernet Private Tree Ethernet Virtual Private Tree
(Rooted multipoint (EP-Tree) (EVP-Tree)
EVC)
Figure 60. Ethernet Virtual Connection types. E-Access Access EPL Access EVPL
(Point-to-Point EVC)
4.5.3 Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Services Figure 61. Ethernet Services in MEF Carrier Ethernet 2.0 and their relation to Ethernet
Virtual Connections.
In the Carrier Ethernet Network, data is transported across point-to-
point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint EVCs according
to the attributes and definitions of a set of well-defined Ethernet service The four Carrier Ethernet 2.0 service types E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree and
types which provide transparent data transport between the UNIs. The E-Access target different applications as indicated in Figure 62. E-Line
four MEF-defined service types are E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree and E-Access. services are typically used to replace private TDM-lines and frame relay
VPNs as well as for Internet access. The other three service types are
A MEF Ethernet Service consists of an Ethernet service type associated used in more specialized applications such as mobile backhaul and where
with one or more bandwidth profiles and supporting one or more Classes several Carrier Ethernet service providers cooperate.
of Service (CoS). A service also defines the transparency to Layer 2 control
protocols and how they should be handled.

4.5.4 Carrier Ethernet Service Attributes
A user of the Carrier Ethernet subscribes to an Ethernet service type
(E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree, E-Access) having either a port-based or VLAN-based
UNI, and having more detailed characteristics as specified by its Ethernet
service attributes, which are listed in MEF specifications 6.1 and 10.2.
The service attribute represents a service characteristic, which in turn

is further defined by a set of Ethernet service attribute parameters. The
attributes and parameters customize the overall performance and quality
of service for each individual service and subscriber.
Figure 62. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 service types. Source: Metro Ethernet Forum.
The TM-Series Ethernet products are fully MEF and CE2.0 certified and
have the functionality needed to implement all of the four service types
above in a packet-optical network.
Implementing the CE2.0 services gives the network operator a whole new
range of services to offer on top of the legacy layer-1 transport service,
thereby adding new revenue streams to an existing network investment.
Furthermore, implementing Ethernet services, rather than IP/MPLS based
services with similar characteristics, can make the necessary investments
significantly lower, especially if the Ethernet services can be implemented Figure 63. Each subscribed to Ethernet service type has an associated set of attribu-
on the already deployed WDM platform. tes and parameters defining its behavior in detail.

The Ethernet service attributes are of three main types:
4.6 Carrier Ethernet traffic management
The different applications, users and data flows in a Carrier Ethernet Net-
1. Per EVC service attributes defining the characteristics
work require different priorities and performance guarantees. The process
of the Ethernet Virtual Connection as such, e.g:
of differentiating traffic in this way is referred to as traffic management,
yyEVC ID and type; point-to-point or multipoint and involves mechanisms such as queuing, scheduling and policing of the
yyList of connected UNIs Ethernet frames. With traffic management in place it is possible to guar-
antee a certain Quality of Service (QoS) for a given service with respect to
yyCustomer VLAN ID and Class of Service preservation e.g. data rate, delay, jitter and packet dropping probability.
yyEVC performance: Frame Delay (Latency), Inter Frame Delay Variation,
Frame Loss Ratio and Availability Quality of service guarantees are important if the network capacity is
insufficient, especially for real-time streaming multimedia applications
such as voice over IP and IP-TV, since these often require a fixed bit rate
2. EVC per UNI service attributes, e.g:
and are delay and loss sensitive. In the absence of network congestion,
yyUNI/EVC ID QoS mechanisms are in principle not required. However, temporary
yyCustomer VLAN ID/EVC mapping changes in traffic patterns and reconfigurations, for example when
caused by protection switching, makes QoS mechanisms necessary in
yyIngress/egress bandwidth profiles per Class of Service virtually all networks.
3. Per UNI service attributes such as: Carrier Ethernet defines several traffic management mechanisms,
yyUNI ID and physical interface capabilities: Data rate, frame format which are described below.
yyIngress and egress bandwidth profiles

yyService multiplexing capability 4.6.1 Bandwidth profiles
A bandwidth profile is a set of traffic parameters that define the maxi-
yyLayer 2 control protocol processing
mum average bandwidth available for the customers traffic. An ingress
bandwidth profile limits traffic transmitted into the network and an egress
bandwidth profile can be applied anywhere to control overload problems
of multiple UNIs sending data to an egress UNI simultaneously. Frames
that meet the profile are forwarded; frames that do not meet the profile
are dropped.
Bandwidth profiles allow service providers to offer services to users in

increments lower than what is set by the physical interface speed.

Also, it provides a possibility to engineer the network and make sure that
certain parts of the network are not overloaded.
MEF 10.2 specifies three levels of bandwidth profile compliance for each
individual service frame26:
yyGreen: The service frame is subject to Service Level Agreement (SLA)
performance guarantees.
yyYellow: The service Frame is not subject to SLA performance guaran-
tees, but will be forwarded on a best effort basis. These frames
have lower priority and are discard-eligible in the event of network Figure 64. Conceptual example with three EVCs sharing the same UNI. The three CIRs
congestion. can always be met, the three EIR:s cannot always be met simultaneously.
yyRed: The service frame is to be discarded at the UNI by the traffic policer.
Ingress bandwidth profiles can be applied per UNI (all traffic regardless
Bandwidth profiles can be defined per Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC) of VLAN tag or EVC ID) or more granular on an EVC basis or even based on
and per Class of Service (see below for definition) and are governed by a Class of Service marking such as a customer applied VLAN priority tag.
a set of parameters, the most important being:
yyCommitted Information Rate (CIR) which defines the assured band-
width expressed as bits per second.
yyExcess Information Rate (EIR) which defines temporary extra band-
width that may be temporarily used expressed as bits per second.
yyCommitted Burst Size (CBS) and Excess Burst Size (EBS) which define
temporary bursts of information that can be handled.
The TM-Series EMXP also supports a simpler bandwidth profile which

only uses the two traffic parameters:
yyRate, expressed as bits per second.
yyBurst Size expressed as bytes.
26
service frame is a subscriber Ethernet frame to be forwarded by a service in the
A
Figure 65. Three types of bandwidth profiles are defined in MEF 10.1.
Carrier Ethernet.

The compliance to the bandwidth profile is determined through two values in the data, such as Customer VLAN IEEE 802.3 Q or p tag
leaky bucket algorithms, using a principle referred to as Two Rate Three markings.
Color Marker (TrTCM).
The Transmode EMXP currently supports eight different CoS priorities
with 0 being the lowest (best effort) and 7 being the highest (priority real-
4.6.2 Class of Service (CoS) and Service Level time data) priority. The EMXP has eight CoS queues per port. These eight
queues are serviced by a scheduler that can use three different scheduling
Agreements (SLA)
schemes for emptying the eight egress queues: Strict, round robin and
The integration of real-time and non-real time traffic over Ethernet
weighted round robin.
requires differentiating packets from different applications and providing
differentiated performance according to the needs of each application.
The Class of Service settings together with the bandwidth profiles are in
When a network experiences congestion and delay, some packets must be
turn used for making Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the service
dropped or delayed. This differentiation is in Carrier Ethernet referred to
provider and his customers. In addition to the various parameters of the
as Class of Service (CoS).
bandwidth profiles (CIR, EIR etc.) the SLA typically also specifies maxi-
mum values for various types of frame delay and frame delay variation
CoS can be applied at the EVC level (same CoS for all frames transmit-
(jitter), and values for the availability of the subscribed to service.
ted over the EVC), or applied within the EVC by customer defined priority
Figure 66. Examples of Service Level Agreements for different applications. Source: Metro Ethernet Forum.

4.6.3 Traffic shaping 4.7 Carrier Ethernet Operations, Adminis-
Traffic shaping is a traffic management technique which delays some
frames in a Carrier Ethernet in order to bring them into compliance with a tration and Maintenance (Ethernet OAM)
desired traffic profile. Traffic shaping is a form of rate limiting, as opposed Using Ethernet as an end-to-end wide area network service rather than
to the policing of the bandwidth profiles, where excess frames are simply as a link layer protocol creates a need for a new set of Operations, Admin-
dropped. Normally, traffic shaping is not part of any subscriber SLA, but istration and Maintenance (OAM) mechanisms and protocols. Service pro-
rather a network internal mechanism, used by the operator to even out viders must be able to provision and maintain large volumes of Ethernet
traffic flows and create fairness between users of the network resources. services and subscribers in a rational and cost efficient way.
Traffic shaping is done by imposing additional delay on some packets such Furthermore, an end-to-end wide area Ethernet service, i.e. an Ethernet
that the traffic conforms to a given bandwidth profile. Traffic shaping Virtual Connection (EVC), often involves one or more carriers/network
provides a means to control the volume of traffic being sent out on an operators providing the underlying transmission capacity in addition to
interface in a specified period (bandwidth throttling), and the maximum the Ethernet service provider. Carrier Ethernet OAM requires coordination
rate at which the traffic is sent (rate limiting). of OAM performed by a number of administrative entities and by differ-
ent technical systems.
A drawback with traffic shaping is increased latency and jitter for the
Ethernet Virtual Connection but the gain can be better throughout, since
the overall flow of frames may be improved: Instead of dropping traffic 4.7.1 The management framework
in a policer, it may be better to shape the traffic to make sure no frames Ethernet OAM builds on an established management framework and
are lost (or at least as few as possible), avoiding retransmissions at higher terminology using the concept of a data model, the Management Infor-
protocol layers. mation Base (MIB), describing the status of the individual elements in the
managed network.
Figure 67. The Network Management System (NMS) uses a

data model a Management Information Base (MIB) to
keep track of the status of the individual network elements.

The Management Information Base (MIB) is a database representation 4.7.2 Standards for Ethernet OAM
of the managed objects in a telecommunications network. The database, From an OAM perspective there are several standards that work together
normally located in the central network management system, keeps in a layered fashion to provide Carrier Ethernet OAM: IEEE 802.3ah de-
an updated view of network element status by sending queries to the fines OAM at the link level. With more of an end to end focus, 802.1ag de-
elements and is also used for configuration and provisioning activities. fines connectivity fault management for identifying network level faults,
A MIB together with an associated management protocol, such as while ITU Y.1731 adds performance management which enables SLAs to be
SNMPv2, defines a standard network management interface for the monitored. The functions of these OAM layers are implemented either
administration and maintenance of a particular network element. in a stand-alone network demarcation device (i.e. the Transmode NID
or EDU) or integrated into the node equipment (i.e. into the Transmode
EMXP).
Figure 68. The Ethernet OAM framework and terminology. Figure 69. Standards for Carrier Ethernet OAM.

4.7.3 The service lifecycle Ethernet service provisioning comprises the processes of setting up the
The life of an EVC starts with a service order initiated by a customer. required Ethernet virtual connections (EVCs) for a customer and assign-
The order contains various types of EVC information such as UNI loca- ing attributes such as bandwidth profiles and class of service to them.
tions, bandwidth profiles, Class of Service etc. After provisioning of the The provisioning process also includes procedures for testing the service
EVC, the service provider and the involved network operators conduct when it has been set up, but before it is turned over to the customer. The
initial turn-up testing to verify that the EVC is operational and fulfills the configuration of the service is checked for correctness and verified against
subscribed to characteristics. While the EVC is in use, all parties involved its Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC).
the subscriber, the network operators/carriers, and the service provider
want to monitor the same EVC to ensure that it adheres to the specified The Carrier Ethernet provisioning process specified by MEF is based
Service Level Agreement (SLA) regarding delay, jitter, loss, throughput, on the ITU-T specification Y.1564.
availability, etc. Finally, when the EVC is not needed any longer, the assigned
network resources should be freed up and made available to other EVCs.
4.7.4 Ethernet Service OAM Performance and fault
The described life cycle of an Ethernet Service is depicted in Figure 70. management
The involved processes fall in three main categories: Provisioning, per- Performance management and fault management comprises the pro-
formance management and fault management. The IEEE, ITU-T and MEF cesses of monitoring the Ethernet virtual connections (EVCs) for proper
OAM standards provide the means to monitor and execute the required operations, discover any problems and correct faults that have occurred.
actions on the Carrier Ethernet. yyLink level performance and fault management as defined by IEEE
802.3ah provides mechanisms to monitor link operation and health,
and for elementary fault isolation.
yyThe more sophisticated end-to-end, service level performance and fault
management of the Ethernet Virtual Connection is often referred to
as Ethernet Service OAM (SOAM) and is addressed by MEF Specifica-
tions 17, 30 and 31, and the ITU-T Y.1731 and IEEE 802.1ag standards.
Figure 70. The life cycle of an Ethernet Service according to Metro Ethernet Forum.
Some of the involved standards have been indicated.

In a real wide area network, Ethernet Virtual Connections may span sev- Recognizing the fact that Ethernet networks often encompass multiple
eral networks, each with their own management needs. Since managing administrative domains, IEEE 802.1, ITU-T SG 13 and MEF have adopted
functionality end-to-end means different things to the end customer, a common, multi-domain SOAM reference model. The Carrier Ethernet
the network operator and the Carrier Ethernet Service Provider, Ethernet is portioned into customer, service provider, and operator maintenance
SOAM must handle and interact with performance and fault manage- levels. Service providers have end-to-end service responsibility; operators
ment over several Ethernet OAM domains. An OAM domain is simply provide service transport across a sub-network.
a network or sub-network of elements belonging to the same administra-
tive entity managing them. In this model, an entity that requires management is called a Main-
tenance Entity (ME). An ME is essentially an association between two
maintenance end points within an OAM domain, where each end point
corresponds to a provisioned reference point. For example, in the previous
figure, the green arrow between the two CEs represents a subscriber ME.
A Maintenance Entity Group (MEG) consists of the MEs that belong to

the same service inside a common OAM domain. The MEs exist within
the same administrative boundary and belong to the same point-to-point
or multipoint Ethernet Virtual Connection. For a point-to-point EVC,
the MEG contains one single ME.
A MEG End Point (MEP) is a provisioned OAM reference point which

can initiate and terminate proactive OAM frames. It can also initiate
and react to diagnostic OAM frames. The MEPs are indicated by triangles
in the figures.
A MEG Intermediate Point (MIP) is any intermediate point in a MEG that

Figure 71. Hierarchical OAM domains define the OAM responsibilities and the flows can react to some OAM frames. A MIP does not initiate OAM frames;
of OAM data.
neither does it take action on the transit Ethernet traffic flows. The MIPs
are indicated by circles in the figures.
The concepts of the SOAM reference model are summarized by Figure 72,
indicating the six default MEG levels considered by MEF.

Figure 72. Example of Ethernet SOAM Maintenance Entities. Source: Metro Ethernet Forum.

Given the above SOAM reference model, MEF specifications 30.1 Fault Management
and 35 define a wide set of performance and fault management activities yyContinuity Check. Heartbeat messages are issued periodically by the
for the EVC and its sub-components such as: MEPs and used to proactively detect loss of connection between end-
points. Continuity check is also used to detect unintended connectiv-
Performance Management ity between MEGs. The continuity check is used to verify basic service
yyFrame Delay. Measurement of one-way and two-way (round-trip) connectivity and health.
delay from MEP to MEP.
yyRemote Defect Indication Signal. When a downstream MEP detects
yyInter-Frame Delay Variation. Differences between consecutive Frame a fault it will signal the condition to its upstream MEP(s). The behavior
Delay measurements. is similar to the RDI function in SDH/SONET networks.
yyFrame Loss Ratio. The number of frames delivered at an egress UNI yyAlarm Indication Signal. A MEP can send an alarm signal to its higher
compared to the number of transmitted frames over a specified time, level MEs, thereby informing the higher level MEs of the disruption,
e.g. a month. immediately following the detection of a fault.
yyAvailability. Downtime is measured over e.g. a year and used to calcu- yyLinktrace is an on-demand OAM function initiated in a MEP to track
late the availability of the service. the path to a destination MEP. It allows the transmitting node to
discover connectivity data about the path.
yyLoopback is an on-demand OAM function used to verify connectivity
of an MEP with its peers.

Summary Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture,
Optical fiber provides almost loss-less transmission realized by the TM-Series platform and the Enlighten
of signals at an ultra-wide range of frequencies. Packet multi-layer management suite, represents an exceptional
switching, implemented according to the Ethernet family toolbox for deployment of these new networks. The archi-
of protocols, offers one of the most efficient ways ever for tecture encompasses elements which are fully certified for
sorting and directing streams of digital data. With packet- Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services, capable of both native Ether-
optical networking, these two outstanding technologies net and OTN-adapted transport and having additional
are positioned to dominate the next generation of trans- scalability and resilience enabled by MPLS-TP. Special
port networks. And the continuing evolution driven by attention has been given to efficient synchronization,
industry groups ensures dependable and open standards ultra-low latency and minimal jitter in small as well as
for future needs. large networks. Furthermore, configuring and managing a
Transmode packet-optical network is simple and straight-
forward thanks to the carefully designed suite of multi-
layer management tools.
82 Summary transmode
index
1 E G
10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) 62 E-Access 71 G.8032 66
egress bandwidth profile 73 G.805 38
A
E-LAN 71 G.809 38
active LSP 23
E-Line 71 G.8262 64
aggregation network 28
Enlighten 33, 36 Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) 19
applications 46
Ethernet 58 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) 61
asynchronous transport 62
Ethernet Demarcation Unit (EDU) 28, 70
Attachment Circuit (AC) 23 I
Ethernet frame 58
Automatic Protection Switching (APS) 66 IEEE 1588v2 64, 65
Ethernet MAC (ETH) layer 69
IEEE 802.1ag 78
B Ethernet mode of operation 58
IEEE 802.3ad 66
bandwidth profile 71, 73 Ethernet Muxponder (EMXP) 27, 29
IEEE 802.3ah 77
Business Ethernet 46 Ethernet physical media 61
ingress bandwidth profile 73
Business Process Framework (eTOM) 36 Ethernet protection 66
Intelligent SFP (iSFP) 34
Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) 60, 66
C interworking function (IWF) 63
Ethernet service attribute 72
Carrier Ethernet 68, 69, 70 IP backhaul 49
Ethernet service attribute parameter 72
Carrier Ethernet Network 70
Ethernet Synchronization Messaging Channel J
Carrier Ethernet Services 71
(ESMC) 65 jitter 32
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision
Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC) 70
Detection (CSMA/CD) 59 L
eTOM 37
circuit emulation service 64 Label Edge Router (LER) 22
E-Tree 71
Class of Service (CoS) 74, 75 Label Switching Router (LSR) 22
Excess Burst Size (EBS) 74
cloud computing 55 latency 32
Excess Information Rate (EIR) 74
Committed Burst Size (CBS) 74 Layer 1 transport 16
External Network to Network Interface (ENNI) 70
Committed Information Rate (CIR) 74 Layer 2 58
control plane 41 F Layer 2 (Ethernet) transport. 16
convergence time 65 Fast Ethernet (FE) 61 Link Aggregation Group (LAG) 66
Customer Equipment (CE) 70 FCAPS suite 38 link layer 59
Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) 49 Local Area Network (LAN) 58
D
Forward Error Correction (FEC) 19
data center 55 M
Frameworx 38
data plane 41 MAC address 59
full duplex operation 59
Differential Clock Recovery (DCR) 35 MAC address based VLAN 60
differential timing 64, 65 MAC control protocol 59
digital wrapper 16 Maintenance Entity (ME) 79
84 index transmode
Maintenance Entity Group (MEG) 79 Optical Channel Transport Unit (OTU) 20 Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) 60, 66
Management Information Base (MIB) 77 Optical Transport Network (OTN) 20 statistical multiplexing 15
management protocol 77 switched Ethernet 59
P
MEG End Point (MEP) 79 switched video transport 53
packet-optical networking 14
meshed Ethernet 60 synchronization 32, 62
Packet-Optical Transport Systems (P-OTS) 4
Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 68 Synchronization Status Messages (SSM) 65
Path Computation Element (PCE) 42
Metro-core P-OTS 10 Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) 64
path-finding 42
Metro-edge P-OTS 10
point-to-point EVC 71 T
mobile backhaul 51
port-based UNI 71 Tag Protocol Identifier (TPID) 60
MPLS-TP 22
power consumption 33 Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) 62
MPLS-TP Provider (P) 22
Precision Time Protocol (PTP) 65, 66 TMF608 39
MPLS-TP Provider Edge (PE) 22
primary reference clock (PRC) 64 traffic management 73
MPLS-TP tunnel 23
Priority Code Point (PCP) 60 traffic shaping 76
MTOSI 2.0 38
protect LSP 23 Transmode Network Manager (TNM) 30, 37
multi-layer traffic management 27
pseudowire (PW) 23, 63 Two Rate Three Color Marker (TrTCM) 75
multipoint-to-multipoint EVC 71
multi-port bridge 59 Q U
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) 22 Quality of Service (QoS) 16, 73 unified information model 39
User Network Interface (UNI) 70
N R
Native Ethernet framing 19, 20 Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) 60, 66 V,W
Native Packet Optical 2.0 architecture 26 rate limiting 76 virtual LAN (VLAN) 60
Network Interface Card (NIC) 59 Ring Protection Link (RPL) 67 virtual network 41
Network Interface Device (NID) 28, 70 ROADM 29 virtual private network (VPN) 60
network management 36 routed multipoint EVC 71 VLAN identifier (VID) 60
network virtualization 41 VLAN tag field 60
S
non-blocking 59 VLAN-based UNI 72
SDN controller 41
O service frame 74 Y
OAM domain 79 Service Level Agreement (SLA) 28, 75 Y.1362 64
ODU2e framing 19 service lifecycle 78 Y.1564 78
OpenFlow 42 Service VLAN (SVLAN) 16 Y.1731 77
Operations, Administration and Maintenance shared Ethernet 59 Y.3011 41
(OAM) 76 SOAM reference model 81
Optical Channel Data Unit (ODU) 20 Software Defined Networking (SDN) 41
transmode index 85
Transmode is a global provider of packet-optical networking solutions
that enable fixed line and mobile network operators to cost effectively
address the capacity needs created by the rapid growth in video and
data traffic. These solutions are important building blocks in next-
generation high-speed optical networks that support services such as
broadband backhaul, mobile data backhaul, video delivery services and
cloud computing. Transmodes solutions are designed to increase the
capacity, flexibility and functionality of metro and regional networks
and are based on Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) and tran-
sport technologies such as Ethernet. Transmodes Native Packet Optical
2.0 architecture gives customers key advantages such as cost efficient
Ethernet services, ultra-low latency, low power consumption and future
proof network design.
Transmode is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and is listed on the

NASDAQ OMX Stockholm Exchange (TRMO). Since 2000 the company
has installed more than 40,000 systems for over 500 fixed and mobile
network operators, service providers, large enterprises and public
institutions in over 45 countries across the globe.
For additional information about Transmode, please visit

www.transmode.com
NOV 2013

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Packet Optical The Transmode Way

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Packet-

As with the accompanying book WDM the Transmode

1. An overview of the packet-

10 An overview of the packet-optical market transmode

We at Infonetics Research see the evolution of P-OTS systems and

transmode An overview of the packet-optical market 11

Multiprotocol Label Switching Transport Profile.

14 Packet-optical networking transmode

In this situation, there are several reasons to introduce a Layer 2

transmode Packet-optical networking 15

S ee section 4.5 for more information about Carrier Ethernet as defined

by Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).

16 Packet-optical networking transmode

transmode Packet-optical networking 17

Layer 1 Ethernet transport Layer 2 Ethernet transport

Figure 6. Characteristics of Layer 1 and Layer 2 Ethernet transport.

18 Packet-optical networking transmode

Legacy optical transport systems SDH and SONET incorporate adaption

transmode Packet-optical networking 19

20 Packet-optical networking transmode

Native Ethernet framing ODU2e framing according to OTN

transmode Packet-optical networking 21

MPLS-TP is a way to simplify Carrier Ethernet services by pre-defining

nor precludes the ability to perform IP forwarding. It is sometimes used instead

22 Packet-optical networking transmode

transmode Packet-optical networking 23

MPLS-TP is fully supported by Transmodes Native Packet Optical 2.0

24 Packet-optical networking transmode

transmode Packet-optical networking 25

26 Packet-optical networking transmode

transmode Packet-optical networking 27

Transmodes Ethernet Demarcation Unit is an independent unit that

The same set of demarcation functionality is also available via Transmodes

Figure 2O. The overall architecture of the packet-optical transport network.

Figure 21. Transmodes Network Interface Device (NID).

28 Packet-optical networking transmode

2.4.3 Optical add/drop multiplexors (OADM, ROADM)

transmode Packet-optical networking 29

The multi-layer management approach brings further benefits in terms

Using a true packet-optical network and an integrated multi-layer

Figure 24. Ethernet services provided by an integrated packet-optical platform

30 Packet-optical networking transmode

Better customer satisfaction and thereby reduced churn

transmode Packet-optical networking 31

32 Packet-optical networking transmode

Figure 25. Migration towards a single, packet-oriented, transport infrastructure

transmode Packet-optical networking 33

Transmodes packet-optical platform offers several alternatives for the

yyExisting Layer 1 services carried over SDH/SONET networks can be

34 Packet-optical networking transmode

Figure 27. Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet (TSoP).

transmode Packet-optical networking 35

Furthermore, Enlighten has been designed in accordance with the

36 Packet-optical networking transmode

transmode Packet-optical networking 37

Multi-Technology Operation Systems Interface (MTOSI) is a TM Forum standard

for implementing interfaces between Operations and Support Systems (OSS).

38 Packet-optical networking transmode

To be able to deliver and provision a Layer 2 service, the optical channels

2.7.5 Layer 2 Service Assurance

transmode Packet-optical networking 39

Performance management of a Layer 2 network comprises the measur-

The assurance module provides a complement to established Ethernet

40 Packet-optical networking transmode

1. An overview of the packet-

S ee section 4.5 for more information about Carrier Ethernet as defined

yyExisting Layer 1 services carried over SDH/SONET networks can be

Multi-Technology Operation Systems Interface (MTOSI) is a TM Forum standard