Synchronous Optical networking (SONET)

Abstract

The world has been interconnected in different forms. It gets appreciated by the evolution of the communication technologies that has enabled the international sharing of information and resources. The communication is governed by the defined standards and these standards also govern the telecommunication field. The telecommunication standards are evolving with the evolution of different technologies. In the course, I take to discuss the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) by providing the overview of the standard. The content will be extent to providing the reasons behind the synchronization of telecommunication transmission, SONET Network configuration, the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) network elements and the impact of the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) to telecommunication field.

Introduction

Telecommunication has been on evolving and according to the services and products based on the model, standards are required to enable the proper delivery of services and other relative products. Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) is a telecommunication standard defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that enables the synchronization of data that is transmitted on optical media. The standard core value is the aim of providing conventional transmission systems such that operating applications can interconnect internationally over a digital network.

The  Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) standard is categorized under the Synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) that has allowed the application of standards forcing the telecommunication transport. Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) was generated by the Exchange Carrier Standards Association (ECSA) for the American standards Society of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that is overall concerned with the setting of industry standards. In the case, the concern is about the telecommunication transmissions over an optical media (Rouse, n.d).

Background

Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has evolved after the old telecommunication systems. It is a standard that is governing the optical transmissions. Previous there was the first generation of communication of the fiber-optic systems that was applied to the public telephone network. The system applied the simple technology of multiplexing formats, simple equipment, the line codes and proprietary architectures. At the time, the users were for a region of the Bell operating companies that operated in the United States, Korea, Taiwan, Canada and Hong Kong. However, there were challenges, and they agreed to develop some standards that could enable the Interexchange carriers (IXCs) for equipment from different manufacturers. And thus, the development of the standard of Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) was created in 1984 a task given to the Exchange Carrier Standards Association (ECSA). The standard was developed to enable the connection of one fiber system to another fiber system of different manufacturers (Ching, Yau-Chau & Say, 1993).

Why synchronization

            The previous transmission systems were typical asynchronous. The asynchronous mode meant that each given terminal in an existing working network runs on its clock. It should get appreciated and understood that digital communication is accomplished with the application of clocking. Clocking is quite critical when it comes to digital transmissions. Clocking enables the use of a series of common and repetitive pulses that takes to maintain the bit rate of the data by indicated the positions of the ones and zeroes in a data stream. The model is disadvantaged at a higher asynchronous rate where multiplexing and demultiplexing must get applied to attain the stability and transmission. The synchronous system does not have room to accommodate multiplexing with bit stuffing collaboratively. Instead, the average of clock frequency is maintained to be the same throughout the system

Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) multiplexing principles

            The Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) standards are governed by some principles during the process of signal multiplexing. The principles applied to the SONET standards are categorized as follows according to Tektronix (n.d);

Mapping

            Mapping is a principle that is applied during the process of multiplexing when the adoption of the tributaries into the VTs is done by the simple addition of justification bits and the POH information.

Multiplexing

            Multiplexing is applied within the standards at any time the lower order path layer is adapted to a higher order path signal. At the time, the principle applies when a higher order path signal is adapted into line overheads.

Aligning

            The aligning principle can only take place when the pointer is directly integrated into STS path to enable the location of the VT first byte.

Stuffing

            Stuffing is handled in some irregular circumstances by the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) at the position when a tributary asynchronous signal is multiplexed and aligned. The standard frame creates some space to accommodate the tributary rate.

Impacts of Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET)

            The Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has some recognized advantages over the old telecommunication system. The advantages come up as a result of the easy configuration, increase in configuration flexibility and the bandwidth availability.

            Telecommunication equipment has been a challenge as the requirements of getting the transmission successful was an arbitrary challenge. However, Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has come mean to reduce and simplify the optical telecommunication requirements and take the interest in increasing the network reliability.

            SONET enables the easy generation of overheads and the payload bytes. The overhead bytes are the beneficiaries of the payload byte as they allow the management of the payload byte on a single byte basis as an added advantage the process of management promotes the fault sectionalization.

            The Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has simplified the interface of the telecommunication equipment such as the digital switches, the add-drop multiplexers, and the digital cross-connect switches. This has come as a result of the synchronous structure that is simplified. At the same time, the synchronous multiplexing format is capable of carrying lower level digital signals that may include the DS-1 and the DS-3 hence enabling the easy transmission of signals.

            Technology is on growth and, therefore, the innovations should also get accommodated within the governing standards. Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has a defined flexible architecture that is capable of accommodating the future upgrades and changes as it comes with a capability of providing a variety of signal transmission rates.

            Compatibility was the old challenge that networking industry has faced even the software engineering industry faced the same limit, Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has a set of generic sub-standards that enables compatibility by allowing the easy connection and communication of telecommunication equipment from different vendors.

Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) Network Elements

            The network elements of the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) are depicted as the terminal multiplexers, the regenerators, Add/ Drop Multiplexers (ADM), the Wideband Digital cross-connects, the digital loop carrier and the Broadband digital cross connect.

Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) Network Configuration

            The configuration that Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) offers over a network includes the point to point configuration, point to multipoint configuration, the Hub network, and the ring architecture. A point to point network configuration is the simplest deployment of optical interconnection since it gets to involve the typical linking of two terminal multiplexers without the need of including a regenerator. A point to multipoint configuration architecture describes the architecture that enables the easy adding and dropping of the digital circuits. In a hub network architecture takes the design of star topology that accommodates the growth of terminals and allows easy changing of the circuits. In-ring architecture, the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) applies the ADM to allow the advantage of survivability of the transmission as it allows both bidirectional and unidirectional traffic (Prasad, 2004).

Conclusion

            Data transmission is the basis of communication between devices. The graphics and text are transmitted in the form of signal and the signal transmitted should be controlled to ensure that the quality of the originality of the data signal is realized at the terminal point. Standards have improved the management of different communication applications. Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) as standards defined by the ANSI, generates many benefits to the telecommunication industry, it is standards that have accommodated many deficits that the old telecommunication systems portrayed. The power in transmission has been the great achievement behind the application of the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) since it is a data transport network that is powerful. The networking capability of the Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) has outdone the asynchronous systems that got the industry lacking behind as far as the technology of data exchange is concerned with the introduction of the digital circuits. The previous back to back multiplexing of the asynchronous systems has been reduced tremendously, and the compatibility of the optical interconnect has been accomplished.

      

References

Ching, Yau-Chau and Say, H. Sabit.(1993). "SONET Implementation: Does the status of SONET deployment meet the original expectations of the systems's developers?" IEEE Communications Magazine, 31:9 (34-40).

Prasad, K. V. K. K. (2004). Principles of digital communication systems and computer networks. Pp 190. Hingham, Mass: Charles River Media.

Rouse, M. (n.d). Synchronous Optical Network (SONET). 

Tektronix, (n.d). Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) 

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in best custom research papers if you need a similar paper you can place your order for custom college essay services.