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Optical Networks

Chapter 11

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DUE 0903239

Objectives
Define Optical Networking Define the components of a fiber optic system Define characteristics of fiber optic cable Describe Single mode and multi mode fiber Introduce concepts of wave division multiplexing

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Optical Networking What is it?

In its simplest form, optical networking is when the data transport is carried via light over fiber optic cable (as opposed to electrical impulses over copper cable)

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Components of a Fiber Optic System

1.

Transmitter - takes information such as voice, data, video, encoded into electrical signals into light signals and sends it down fiber optic cable Fiber optic cable - medium which the signal is carried on Receiver- accepts light signal and converts it back into electrical signals

2.

3.

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Fiber Optic Cable


Reference: Compared to human hair 70 um!

Core - central region of optical fiber which light travels through and information is carried. Cladding - Made of glass with lower refractive index than the core. Causes light in the core to reflect off of the cladding and stay contained in the core Coating - outer protective coating that protects the fiber from damage and moisture
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Fiber Optic Cable (cont)


Fiber-optic cable (fiber) Composed of one (or several) glass or plastic fibers at its center (core) Data transmission Pulsing light sent from laser LED (light-emitting diode) through central fibers Cladding Layer of glass or plastic surrounding fibers Different density from glass or plastic in strands Reflects light back to core Allows fiber to bend

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Fiber Optic Cable (cont)


Plastic buffer Outside cladding Protects cladding and core Opaque absorbs any escaping light Core and Cladding manufactured as a single piece of silica and cant be separated from each other Different varieties Based on intended use and manufacturer

Two categories Single-mode Multimode

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SMF (single mode fiber)


Uses narrow core (< 10 microns in diameter) Smaller core than MMF Laser generated light travels over one path Little reflection Light does not disperse Accommodates Highest bandwidths, longest distances Connects carriers two facilities Costs prohibit typical LANs, WANs use $$$ than MMF

Jumpers are yellow

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Transmission over single-mode fiber-optic cable

MMF (multimode fiber)


Allows more than 1 mode of light Uses core with larger diameter than single-mode fiber

Common size: 62.5 microns

Laser or LED generated light pulses travel at different angles Common uses

Cables connecting router to a switch Cables connecting server on network backbone

Jumpers are orange

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Transmission over multimode fiber-optic cable

MMF (cont)
Benefits Extremely high throughput Very high resistance to noise Excellent security Ability to carry signals for much longer distances before requiring repeaters than copper cable Industry standard for high-speed networking Drawback More expensive than twisted pair cable Requires special equipment to splice Throughput Reliable transmission rates Can reach 100 gigabits (or 100,000 megabits) per second per channel

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MMF (cont)
Cost

Most expensive transmission medium ST (straight tip) SC (subscriber connector or standard connector) LC (local connector) MT-RJ (mechanical transfer registered jack) Unaffected by EMI Segment lengths vary

Connectors

Noise immunity

Size and scalability

150 to 40,000 meters Due primarily to optical loss

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Connectors
Single-Mode Multimode

ST Connector

SC Connector

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Transmitters
Accept coded electronic signals, process them to light signals and then send them off onto the fiber cable
Light signals generated by LEDs or lasers Different light sources have different wavelengths (lambda) Transmitter designed to emit 850, 1310 or 1550 nanometers

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Receivers
Other end of the cable receives the incoming light and converts back into electrical signal
Uses photo detector

Signal quality system performance characteristics Bit error rates number of errors that occurs between transmitter and receiver Saturation - maximum received power that can be received before distorting of signal and causing poor performance Sensitivity - minimum power that must be received on an incoming signal www.greenITcenter.org

Factors that affect fiber optics


Attenuation - loss of optical power as light travels down a fiber resulting in a dim signal. Measured in decibels. Can be caused intrinsically (such as inside the fiber itself due to the glass in the manufacturing process), or extrinsic (such as caused by outside factors like bending the fiber)

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Factors that affect fiber optics


Saturation - signal is too bright causing receiver not to receive the signal properly
Dispersion - spreading of light as it travels down the fiber optic cable and causing the signal to overlap and be smeared making the receiving unable to determine distinct 0 and 1s.

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Wave Division Multiplexing


A method for multiplexing multiple optical carrier signals on a single fiber by using lasers that emit different wavelengths (colors) to carry different signals
2 types

Coarse WDM Dense WDM

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Comparing DWDM and CWDM

www.greenITcenter.org http://www.ciena.com/files/Optical_Networking_for_Dummies.pdf

Comparing DWDM and CWDM (cont)

CWDM and DWDM uses different technologies with different properties CWDM channels are different than DWDM channel CWDM is lower capacity and lower cost than DWDM CWDM is used for short range communication (50-80km) DWDM is used for long haul CWDM has fewer channels
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Typical WDM Scenarios

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References
Corning Fiber 101Tutorial http://media.corning.com/flash/opticalfiber/2008/fiber101/fiber101.html Sura Optical Networking Cookbook http://www.sura.org/info_tech/opcook/opcook.pdf Ciena Optical Networking for Dummies http://www.ciena.com/files/Optical_Networking_for_Dummies.pdf

Dean, Tamara. Network+ Guide to Networks

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Credits

Diagrams:

Corning online tutorial Networking for Dummies Karen Cheng

Photo:

Pete Brierley

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Questions?
Feel free to contact the creator of this material
Karen Cheng, Associate Professor, Collin College kcheng@collin.edu

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0402356. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation www.greenITcenter.org

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