All Optical Networking

All-optical networks (AONs) are a viable technology for future telecommunication and data networks, an all-optical network (AON) is a network that uses light wave communication exclusively within the network. More precisely, in an AON all network-to network interfaces are based on optical transmission, all user-to-network interfaces use optical transmission on the network side of the interface, and all switching and routing within AON network nodes is performed optically. The principal advantage of maintaining an optical network core in comparison to using electro-optic components at nodes or in transmission systems is higher bandwidth: optical bandwidths are generally one thousand fold those of electronic bandwidths, and avoiding optical/electronic/optical conversions therefore promises roughly one thousand times greater data rates than possible with electro-optic networks. Transparency is an optical network feature that allows routing and switching of data within the network without interpretation or regeneration of the individual data streams. While transparency has many desirable features (e.g. terminal upgrades do not require network upgrades), it has important ramifications for security. AON architecture can generally be divided into optical terminals (which are the user-network interface), network nodes (which switch, route, and sometimes perform mux/demux), and optically amplified fiber optic links. The switching and routing may be done via mechanical switches, opto-electronic switches, passive optical routers, or splitter/combiners. A particularly important component is the optical amplifier. Amplifiers are used in both nodes and links of AONs.

Table 1: Common AON Components

Component Combiner Splitter Demultiplexer Multiplexer Optical Amplifier Spatial Switch Lasers Transmit Opt Receivers Fiber Cable Use Combine optical signals from N fibers to 1 fiber Split signal from 1 fiber to N fibers Star Coupler Separate multiple signals on one fiber each onto its own fiber Combine individual signals from multiple fibers onto one fiber Increases the signal strength (amplitude) Let pass or dump a particular signal, or switch it between fibers Lasers Transmit a Signal Receive a Signal Transport Example Star Coupler Star Coupler Waveguide Grating Router Waveguide Grating Router Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) LiNbO3 Switch Many PIN-FET, Avalanche Photodiodes Many

1 Multiplexing Techniques for AON

To share this bandwidth, various multiplexing techniques have been proposed for AONs. These techniques include, Optical Time Division Multiplexing (OTDM), Optical Code Division Multiplexing (OCDM), Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). In optical time division multiplexing (OTDM), many low-speed channels, each transmitted in the form of ultra-short pulses, are time interleaved to form a single high-speed channel. By this method, the information carrying capacity of the network can be improved to 100 Gigabits/sec or higher without experiencing electronics bottleneck. In order to avoid interference between channels, transmitters should be capable of generating ultra-short pulses, which are perfectly synchronized to the the desired channel (time slot), and receivers should have a perfect synchronization to desired channel (time slot). In code division multiplexing (CDM), each channel is assigned a unique code sequence (very short pulse sequence), which is used to encode low-speed data. The channels are combined and transmitted in a single _ber without interfering with each other. This is possible since the code sequence of each channel is chosen

such that its cross-correlation between the other channels' code sequences is small, and the spectrum of the code sequence is much larger than the signal bandwidth. Therefore, it is possible to have an aggregate network capacity beyond the speed limits of electronics. Like OTDM, CDM requires short pulse technology, and synchronization to one chip time for detection. In WDM the optical spectrum is carved up into a number of smaller capacity channels. Users can transmit and receive from these channels at peak electronic rates, and the channels can be used simultaneously by many users. In this way, the aggregate network capacity can reach the number of channels times the rate of each channel. WDM is the favorite choice over OTDM, and CDM. This is due to the complex hardware requirements, and synchronization requirements of OTDM and CDM (synchronization within one time slot time and one chip time respectively). Moreover, WDM has an inherent property of transparency. Since there is no electronic processing involved in the network, channels act like independent transparent pipes between the end nodes provided that channel bandwidths are not exceeded. Once a connection is established between the end-nodes on a WDM channel, the communicating parties have the freedom to choose the bit rate, signaling and framing conventions, etc. (even analog communication is possible). This transparency property makes it possible to support various data formats and services simultaneously on the same network. In addition to this great flexibility, transparency protects the investments against future developments. Once deployed, WDM networks will support a variety of future protocols and bit rates without making any changes to the network. The commonly used architectural forms for WDM networks are WDM Link, Passive Optical Network (PON), and Wavelength Routing Networks.

2 WDM based ASON

An automatically switched optical network (ASON) is a network which is based on technology enabling the automatic delivery of transport services. Specifically, an ASON can deliver not only leased-line connections but also other transport services such as soft-permanent and switched optical connections. In this approach high-speed routers and transmission equipments are inter-connected by intelligent optical cores which include optical network elements like ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add and Drop), OXC (Optical Cross Connect) which performs the function of add, drop, switch and convert based on wavelengths as shown in fig. It exhibits all the properties of the all-optical network and does not depend on the functionalities of SDH or other TDM systems. The OXCs based on Automatic Switched Optical Networks (ASON) is planned as the core backbone network in BSNL Network. ASON with its intelligent control plane shall provide the routing capabilities to mesh connected SDH network.

Fig.1 ASON

AONs can transmit information at very high speeds and without optical -to electronic conversion and vice versa. Further, AONs tap into the vast bandwidth capacity of optical fiber and effectively utilize it to meet the ever-increasing demand for high bandwidth. Typically, WDM, OTDM, or OCDM are used to effectively utilize optical fiber bandwidth. OTDM and OCDM are less matured compared to WDM and their applications are still limited to various test-beds. AONs may prove a viable means to support High bit rate communications during emergency situations.