An All-Optical Access-Metro Interface for Hybrid WDM/TDM PON Based on OBS

• Published in: Journal of lightwave technology 2007-04, Vol.25 (4), p.1002-1016
• Main Authors: Segarra, J., Sales, V., Prat, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access control; All optical circuits; Applied sciences; Architecture; Circuit properties; Communications networks; Computer networks; Dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA); Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; Ethernet; Exact sciences and technology; Information, signal and communications theory; metropolitan area network (MAN); Miscellaneous; Multiplexing; Network interfaces; Networks; Optical and optoelectronic circuits; Optical arrays; Optical burst switching; optical burst switching (OBS); Optical fiber networks; Optical network units; Optical wavelength conversion; Passive optical networks; passive optical networks (PONs); Quality of service; quality of service (QoS); Signal and communications theory; Switching theory; Systems, networks and services of telecommunications; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Time division multiplexing; Transmission and modulation (techniques and equipments); Wavelength division multiplexing
• ISSN: 0733-8724; 1558-2213
• DOI: 10.1109/JLT.2007.891175

A new all-optical access-metro network interface based on optical burst switching (OBS) is proposed. A hybrid wavelength-division multiplexing/time-division multiplexing (WDM/TDM) access architecture with reflective optical network units (ONUs), an arrayed-waveguide-grating outside plant, and a tunable laser stack at the optical line terminal (OLT) is presented as a solution for the passive optical network. By means of OBS and a dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) protocol, which polls the ONUs, the available access bandwidth is managed. All the network intelligence and costly equipment is located at the OLT, where the DBA module is centrally implemented, providing quality of service (QoS). To scale this access network, an optical cross connect (OXC) is then used to attain a large number of ONUs by the same OLT. The hybrid WDM/TDM structure is also extended toward the metropolitan area network (MAN) by introducing the concept of OBS multiplexer (OBS-M). The network element OBS-M bridges the MAN and access networks by offering all-optical cross connection, wavelength conversion, and data signaling. The proposed innovative OBS-M node yields a full optical data network, interfacing access and metro with a geographically distributed access control. The resulting novel access-metro architectures are nonblocking and, with an improved signaling, provide QoS, scalability, and very low latency. Finally, numerical analysis and simulations demonstrate the traffic performance of the proposed access scheme and all-optical access-metro interface and architectures