SONET / SDH

Nirmala Shenoy
Information Technology Department
Rochester Institute Technology

updated 1/2002 1
 SONET / SDH
Scope
What is SONET/SDH features
Signal hierarchy
Topologies
SONET components
Layers
Frames
Virtual tributaries

updated 1/2002 2
 SONET / SDH
What is SONET / SDH?
Synchronous Optical Network ANSI (US)
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy ITU-T Europe
Similar and compatible
A standard to be used for fibre optics
Recommendation for FOTS equipment
Fibre Optic Transmission Systems
Can carry incompatible DS-0, DS1 (Asyn)
updated 1/2002 3
 SONET / SDH
What is SONET / SDH?
Single reference clock
synchronize transmissions
Predictability
Powerful frame Transmission envelope
Multiplex channels
Multiplexed transport mechanism
Optical based Carrier System

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 SONET / SDH
What is SONET / SDH?
Self healing ring topology
Consolidate and segregate traffic from different
end-points
Extensive integrated OAM&P
Backward compatibility

updated 1/2002 5
 SONET / SDH
Signal Hierarchy
STS Synchronous Transport Signals
support a certain base data rate- 51.84Mbps
STS 1 STS 192 different hierarchies
Corresponding carrier System
Optical Carrier OC-1, OC-3, OC-12, OC-48
SDH STM Synchronous Transport Module
STM 1 = STS 3

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 SONET / SDH
Sonet/SDH rates
STS 1 OC-1 51.840
STS-3 OC-3 155.520 STM-1
STS-9 OC-9 466.560 STM-3
STS-12 OC-12 622.080 STM-4
STS-18 OC-18 933.120 STM-6
STS-24 OC-24 1244.160 STM-8
STS-36 OC-36 1866.230 STM-12
STS-48 OC-48 2488.320 STM-16
STS-96 OC-96 4976.640 STM-32
STS-192 OC-192 9953.280 STM-64
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 SONET / SDH
Configuration
Add/drop mux

STS MUX STS MUX

regenerator regenerator

section section

line

path

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 SONET / SDH
SONET topology
ADM Oc-n SMD
SMD
SA
ADM Oc-n DS1

Oc-n ADM add drop

SMD
ADM multiplexer
Oc-n SMD- sts mu/demux
DCS DCS digital cross
Oc-n
connect switch
SA SA service adapter

ADM
802.5
Oc-n
ADM SMD
SMD

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 SONET / SDH
Multiplexing
Maps into virtual
DS1, CEPT1
tributaries
etc Service
Adapters STS-n

DS3 STS-1
Service
Adapters MUX/DMUX E/O

Service
Adapters STS-n
MAN, ATM,
SMDS, others

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 SONET / SDH
SONET Devices
STS Multiplexer
Multiplexes and de-multiplexes signals from
multiple sources
Path terminating equipment
Maps user payload into standard frame
Header goes end-to-end as part of Synchronous
Payload Envelope - SPE
updated 1/2002 11
 SONET / SDH
SONET Devices
Add /Drop Multiplexer
Adds signals from different sources/removes
Uses header address information to identify
stream and remove
Line terminating Equipment
Performs multiplexing, synchronization, APS

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 SONET / SDH
SONET Devices
Regenerator
Repeater improves signal quality
Operations include layer 2
Frame alignment, scrambling, error monitoring
Section terminating equipment

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 SONET / SDH
Section
Connects two neighboring devices
Line
Connects two multiplexers (STS , Add/Drop)
Path
Connects two STS Mux/demux
Layers likewise path, line, section

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 SONET / SDH
SONET layers

PATH layer

LINE layer Data link

SECTION layer

photonic layer Physical

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 SONET / SDH
Photonic layers phy
Specs for optical fiber channel
NRZ encoding used
Power level
Wavelength
Pulse shape

updated 1/2002 16
 SONET / SDH
Section layer
Frames identifies beginning of frame
Scrambling introducing 1s to derive clock
error monitoring section level
Adds 9 bytes to header frame size 810 bytes
Provided at all devices

updated 1/2002 17
 SONET / SDH
Line layer
Locates partial payload virtual tributaries
Provides frequency justification, bit stuffing
To adjust to clocking from different systems
Does APS
Adds 18 bytes to header
Provided at the STS Mux and Add/Drop Mux

updated 1/2002 18
 SONET / SDH
Path layer
Converts to optical signals and back to
electromagnetic
Adds 9 bytes to header - is part of SPE
Defines the payload being carried
End-to-end path control
Support virtual tributaries
Provided at the STS Mux
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 SONET / SDH
SONET STS-1Frame

Frame1 Frame2 Frame8000

Frame = 810 octets * 8 = 6480bits

8000 frames/sec = 6480*8000 bits/sec = 51.84Mbps

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 SONET / SDH
SONET Frame
Matrix of nine rows 90 octets each
First 3 columns (octets) three rows
section overhead 9 bytes
Next 6 rows line overheads 18 bytes
Rest of the frame Synchronous Payload
Envelope SPE 9 bytes of path overheads

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 SONET / SDH
first column in SPE path overhead

Section
overhead

STS SPE

line
overhead

Path overhead

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 SONET / SDH
Section overhead
Alignment bytes (A1 & A2) framing and
synchronization pattern F628hex
Identification byte (C1)unique id for the STS-
1 frame
Parity byte (B1)
Order-wire byte (E1) bytes in consecutive
frames form a communication channel
between regenerators

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 SONET / SDH
Section overhead
Users byte (F1) bytes in consecutive frames
form a channel for user needs at the section
level
Management bytes (D1, D2 and D3)- 3 bytes
per frame in consecutive frames = 192 kbps for
OAM

updated 1/2002 24
 SONET / SDH
Line Overhead
Pointer bytes (H1, H2, H3) 3 bytes identify
location of the payload
Line Parity byte (B2)
Automatic Protection Switching bytes 2 bytes
(K1, K2) consecutive frames- 128 kbps
channel to detect problems in multiplexers

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 SONET / SDH
Line Overhead
Data communication channel bytes (D4-D12)
consecutive frames 576 kbps OAM at the line
Growth bytes (Z1, Z2) future use
Orderwire byte (E2) line level

updated 1/2002 26
 SONET / SDH
Path Overhead
Path trace byte (J1) bytes in consecutive
frames path tracking verify connection
Path parity byte (B3)
Path signal label byte (C2) path id gives the
construction details of the SPE
Path Status byte (G1) receiver communicates
its status

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 SONET / SDH
Path Overhead
Path user channel byte (F2) user needs at path
level
Virtual tributary indicator (H4) multi-frame
indicator payload not fitting into a frame
Growth byte (Z3, Z4, Z5) reserved

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 SONET / SDH
Virtual Tributaries
Partial payload share a frame
The SPE has a number of tributaries
VT1.5 = 8000 frames * 3 columns * 9 rows * 8
bits = 1.728 Mbps DS-1 service
VT2 = 8000 frames*4 columns*9 rows * 8 bits
= 2.304 Mbps CEPT-1

updated 1/2002 29
 SONET / SDH
Virtual Tributaries
VT3 = 8000 frames * 6 columns * 9 rows * 8
bits = 3.456 Mbps DS-1C
VT6 = 8000 frames*12 columns*9 rows * 8
bits = 6.912 Mbps DS-2

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 SONET / SDH
Summary
A carrier system optical carriers
Synchronous transmission - faster
Time Division multiplexing
High speed backbone
Support for high bit rate applications?
Add/Drop multiplexers
Self healing rings

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