Optical Networks

• Course objective
• Course prerequisite
• Content
• Reference list
• Course method
• Course test

Course objectives

The course objective is to gain in depth understanding of high capacity packet switching networks that form the backbone and edges of the Internet. Such networks are typically realized with optical fibres and various optical devices. Fibre optic technology has advanced dramatically over the past two decades. This was in response to the exponential growth of various data traffic over the Internet, which doubles every 18 months (a.k.a. Moore’s Law). Fibre optics is best medium to transport very high bit rates over very long distances with very low bit error rates. Fibre-optic is one of the three important media for communication, the others being electrical and wireless. This course covers fibre-optic and high-speed IP networking from the physical layer to various aspects of supporting data and streaming media applications.

During the first part of the course, the physical and link layers principles and designs are covered. This includes selected aspects of fibre-optic signal propagation, optical devices and switches. The second part of the course is on the design, performance and management of packet switching in general and optical packet switching in particular. The course will highlight unique issues that require further investigation, while discussing in-depth the multi-dimension differences between optical and electronics for constructing very high capacity IP packet networks for both best effort and streaming multi-media traffic.
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Prerequisite

Knowledge of data network protocols
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Content

Introduction and Challenges

Optical fibres vs. electronic wires, optical switching vs. electronic switching, circuit switching vs. packet switching, connection-oriented vs. connectionless, optical WDM network architectures, optical transparency, “stack” of protocol stacks for IP over optical.

Optical Fibre and Transmission.

Light propagation in optical fibre, loss and bandwidth, modal and chromatic dispersion, modulation and demodulation.

Selected Components and Network Elements.

Passive optical star couplers, isolators and circulators, multiplexers and filters, optical amplifiers, transmitters, detectors, switches, wavelength converters, line terminals, optical line amplifiers, optical add/drop multiplexers, optical cross-connects, optical switches, blocking issues in optical switches.

Design of Optical Access and Passive Optical Networks.

Optical star networks, WDM rings/buses, fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC), synchronizing optical stars, synchronous optical hypergraphs, WDM optical hypergraphs, various configurations of WDM home distribution networks.

Design of Optical Networks.

Logical topology design (LTD), routing and wavelength assignment (RWA), RWA with and without wavelength conversion, random traffic models, worst-case traffic models and designs.

Packet Switching in Electronics and Optics.

Component limitations, optical buffering, re-circulating buffering, optical burst switching, optical deflection routing, optical convergence routing, fractional lambda switching principles, design and performance issues.

MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) and TE (traffic engineering).

Principle of switching with labels that have only local significance. Label switch path and the use of forwarding equivalence classes. Signaling with RSVP (ReSerVation Protocol) and LDP (label distribution protocol). Unifying control plane with GMPLS (Generalized MPLS) for: IP, Circuit switching: SONET/SDH and lambda switching.

Networks Management.

Network management functions, configuration management, performance management, security management, Multi-vendor Interoperability, and fault management.

Networks Survivability.

System availability, line and path protection, restoration, ring networks’ survivability, and mesh networks’ survivability.

Reference list

Textbook: Rajiv Ramaswami, Kumar Sivarajan, "Optical Networks: A Practical Perspective (Second Edition)", Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, October 2002, 864 pages.
More references will be added.
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Course method

3/4 Lectures – 1/4 project presentations by the students.
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Course test

Individual project with written report and oral exam.
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