Developing Intelligent Fiber Optic Networks
by Vladimir Kaminsky

Abstract:

This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the commercially available optical switches that provide a basis for optical intelligent networks.  There are a number of reasons to develop such networks:

These reasons are pushing vendors to develop intelligent optical networks, for the deployment of 40 Gbit/s pipes--they still look for a brighter tomorrow.  In any case, this paper shows that a growing number of manufacturers are working in the area of optical intelligent networks, despite a market at the present time where demand for these network applications almost does not exist.

Optical intelligent networks will combine a large bandwidth (in Tbit/s) with a sophisticated control plane.  So far, all indications are that this control plane will be based on the GMPLS protocol (current G.8080 does not specify a particular protocol for a control plane, it outlines only an architecture).  This control plane supports many network features:  self-restoration, adaptive spare capacity, shared spare capacity, automatic provisioning, and others.  It is also envisioned that with an intelligent network structure it would be easy and cost-effective to build homogenous networks that span all of today's boundaries--unifying access, metropolitan, core.

The ultimate end-user customer dreams of the OOO switch as the next-generation technology.  But it is OEO switches that are implemented, in limited numbers, in networks today.

About the Author:

Dr. Vladimir Kaminsky has been working in telecommunications for over 30 years. He started his carrier in Europe, where he worked on effective coding of digital information for various types of communications channels. During the last twenty years, he held engineering and management positions in Bell System companies. His responsibilities included analysis of technical and economical solutions for broadband optical networks in support of product planning and development. He has worked on the design and implementation of major carrier networks.

His practical experience combined with an extensive academic background give him a deep technical understanding of telecommunications technologies, such as SONET, SDH, DWDM, satellites, and terrestrial transmission.