DWDM-OTN

FUNDAMENTALS
 AGENDA
 What is DWDM?
 Optical Fiber
 Linear/Non-linear Effects and Solutions
 DWDM Components
 OTN Networking Principles
 Flexibility and Reach in DWDM
What is DWDM?
 WAVELENGTH DIVISION MULTIPLEXING
• DWDM systems use optical devices to combine the output of several optical
transmitters
TX
RX

TX Transmission RX

TX Optical RX
fiber pair

TX DWDM devices RX
Optical
Optical receivers
transmitters
 ITU-T GRID
ITU wavelengths = lambdas = channels center around 1550 nm (193 THz)

0.4 nm spacing

Wavelength
(nm)
1528.77 nm 1552.52 nm 1578.23 nm
(Center channel)
50 GHz spacing

Frequency
(THz)
196.2 THz 193.1 THz 190.1 THz
(Center channel)
Optical Fiber
 FIBER GEOMETRY AND DIMENSIONS
• The core carries the light signals
• The refractive index difference Core
between core & cladding confines Cladding
SMF 8 microns 125 microns
the light to the core
• The coating protects the glass

Coating
250 microns
 OPTICAL SPECTRUM
UltraViolet Visible InfraRed


850 nm 1310 nm 1550 nm 1625 nm

Communication Wavelengths in the InfraRed C = x 

 850 nm Multimode Wavelength:  (nanometers)
 1310 nm Singlemode
 C-band:1550 nm Singlemode Frequency:  (terahertz)
 L-band: 1625 nm Singlemode
APPLICATIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT FIBER TYPES
SMF  Good for TDM at 1310 nm
(G.652)  OK for TDM at 1550
 OK for DWDM (With Dispersion Mgmt.)
DSF  OK for TDM at 1310 nm
(G.653)  Good for TDM at 1550 nm
 Bad for DWDM (C-Band)
NZDSF  OK for TDM at 1310 nm
(G.655)  Good for TDM at 1550 nm
 Good for DWDM (C + L Bands)
Extended Band  Good for TDM at 1310 nm
(G.652.C)  OK for TDM at 1550 nm
(suppressed attenuation in the  OK for DWDM (With Dispersion Mgmt.
traditional water peak region)  Good for CWDM (>8 wavelengths)
Linear Effects
 TRANSMISSION IMPAIRMENTS
L o s s (d B / k m )
m
n m m
2 .0
530 n n5
1 65 162
– 15

C-band:1530–
S-band:1460–
460 – –5

band:1565–
1 30 156

1565nm L-
: 15 :d

• Attenuation d :

1625nm
an an
b d

1530nm
an b
-S b -L
-C
0 .5

• Loss of Signal Strength 0 .2

800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600

W a velength (nm)

• Chromatic Dispersion (CD)

• Distortion of pulses Time Slot

2.5Gb/s F ib e r

• Optical Signal to Noise 10Gb/s F ib e r

Ratio (OSNR)
• Effect of Noise in Transmission
S+N

N
 ATTENUATION
• With enough attenuation, a light pulse may not be detected by an optical
receiver

Attenuation (dB)

Distance (km)

Insertion loss (dB)

Optical device
 FIBER ATTENUATION (LOSS) CHARACTERISTIC
Loss(dB)/km vs. Wavelength S-band:1460–1530nm

L-band:1565–1625nm

2.0 dB/Km OH- Absorption Peaks in

Actual Fiber Attenuation Curve

0.5 dB/Km

0.2 dB/Km

800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600

Wavelength in Nanometers (nm) C-band:1530–1565nm
OH: Hydroxyl ion absorption is the absorption in optical fibers of electromagnetic waves,
due to the presence of trapped hydroxyl ions remaining from water as a contaminant.
 Laser Output Power and
Receiver Sensitivity and dBm
• Fiber loss expressed in dB but transmitter/receiver power is expressed in dBm
• This is why both the transmitter output power and the receiver sensitivity is
expressed in dBm:

PowerdBm=10log(PmW /1mW)
dB and dBm are additive, hence the simplification

Example:
• Powerdbm = 10log(2mW/1mW)=3dBm
• Powerdbm = 10log(1mW/1mW)=0dBm
 GAIN AND DECIBELS (DB)

Pin Amp Pout

 Gain expressed by ratio: Pout/Pin

 Gain measured conveniently in dB: 10 log10 Pout/Pin
 If the power is doubled by an amplifier, this is +3 dB
 ATTENUATION: OPTICAL BUDGET
Basic Optical Budget = Tx Output Power – Rx Input Sensitivity

Pout = +6 dBm R = -30 dBm

Budget = 36 dB

Optical Budget is affected by:

• Fiber attenuation
• Splices
• Patch Panels/Connectors
• Optical components (filters, amplifiers, etc.)
• Bends in fiber
• Contamination (dirt/oil on connectors)
 Attenuation Solution: EDFA
• Erbium doped fiber amplifies optical signals through stimulated emission using
980nm and 1480nm pump lasers
Erbium
Isolator Doped
Signal Fiber Isolator
Input Amplified
Signal
Output

WDM Coupler for

980 or 1480 nm pump and signal
Pump Laser Basic EDFA
configuration
 CHROMATIC DISPERSION (CD)
Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 2

The Optical Pulse tends to Spread as it propagates down the fiber

generating Inter-Symbol-Interference (ISI)

• Total dispersion is a function of the length of fiber and it’s dispersion factor
• Limits transmission distance for 10G and above wavelengths
• Can be compensated by using negative dispersion fiber or electronically through
modulation schemes
 Solution: Dispersion Compensating Unit

DCUs use fiber with

chromatic dispersion of
opposite sign/slope and of
suitable length to bring the
average dispersion of the
link close to zero.
 OPTICAL SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO (OSNR)
• OSNR is a measure of the ratio of signal level to the level of system noise
• As OSNR decreases, possible errors increase
• OSNR is measured in decibels (dB)
• EDFAs are the source of noise

Signal level dBm) Signal level

OSNR = -----------------
Noise level
Noise level (dBm)
 OPTICAL SIGNAL DETECTION

• Across a fiber span, optical signals encounter attenuation, dispersion and

increased noise levels at amplifiers.
• Each of these factors causes bit detection errors at the receiver.

Low attenuation High attenuation

Low dispersion High dispersion
High OSNR Low OSNR

Transmitting Receiving
end Distance (km) end
 EXAMPLE: LINK DESIGN WITH LINE AMPLIFIERS
Meets receiver minimum
10G spec: Tx: +3 to -1dBm, Rx min: -21dBm (0ps/nm) OSNR and power
CD tolerance: +1600ps/nm @ 2dB penalty requirement
OSNR min: 16dB (0.5nm resolution) OSNR: 18dB
Rx: -9dBm
DCU DCU
TX -1600 -1600 RX
25dB ps/nm 25dB ps/nm

Demux
Mux

+2dBm/ch -23dBm/ch +2dBm/ch -23dBm/ch

OSNR= 35dB OSNR= 21dB OSNR= 18dB

Time
Domain
Noise Noise
Noise
-1dBm +2dBm -23dBm +2dBm -23dBm +2dBm
0ps/nm 1600ps/nm 0ps/nm 1600ps/nm 0ps/nm
Wavelength
Domain
 OSNR SOLUTION #1
RAMAN AMPLIFIER
• Stimulated Raman Scattering creates the Gain
• Reduces the effective span loss and increases noise performance
• Gain is highly dependent on quality of fiber
• Gain Spectrum ~ 40nm with a single pump
 OSNR Solution #2: Forward Error Correction
0
• FEC extends reach and design
–1
flexibility, at “silicon cost”
–2 Raw Channel BER=1.5e-3
• G.709 (G.709 Annex A) standard –3
improves –4
OSNR tolerance by 6.2 dB (at 10–15 –5
BER) –6
–7

(BER)
• Offers intrinsic performance

Log
–8
monitoring (error statistics)
–9
G.709
• Higher gains (8.4dB) possible by –10
RS(255,239)
enhanced FEC (with same G.709 –11 Uncoded
No FEC
overhead – G.975.1 I.4) –12
–13
EFEC=8.4 dB
• New SD-FEC provides 2dB more –14 FEC=6.2 dB
coding gain –15
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
S/N (dB)
Benefit: FEC/EFEC Extends Reach and Offers 10–15 BER
Non-linear Effects
 NON LINEAR EFFECTS
• Polarization Mode Ey

Dispersion (PMD) Ex
nx

ny Spreaded Pulse As
P u l s e A s it E n t e r s th e F i b e r it L e a ve s th e F ib e r
• Caused by Non Linearity Of
Fiber Geometry
• Effective for Higher Bit rates -5

-1 0

-1 5

• Four Wave Mixing (FWM) -2 0

Power
(dBm)
-2 5

-3 0

• Effects multi-channel systems -3 5

-4 0

• Effects higher bit rates

1542 1543 1544 1545 1546 1547 1548

W a velength (nm)

• Self/Cross Phase Modulation on

ti
or
Di

(SPM, XPM)

Distortion
st
M

SPM
SP Pow er
Pow er

• Caused by high channel power

• Caused by channel interaction
 POLARIZATION MODE DISPERSION (PMD)
Ey
nx

Ex ny
Pulse as It Enters the Fiber Spreaded Pulse as It Leaves the Fiber

• It is Relevant at Bit Rates of 10Gb/s or • Leverage MLSE

More • Use PMD Compensation (PMDC)
• Pulse broadens as it travels down fiber • Deploy PMD-optimized fibers
• Advanced Modulation Schemes
• Mainly a manufacturing/install issue with
concentricity of fiber
• Mitigation
• Increasing system robustness with FEC
DWDM Components
TYPICAL COMPONENTS OF DWDM SYSTEMS

• Optical transmitters and receivers

• DWDM mux/demux filters
• Optical add/drop multiplexers (OADMs)
• Reconfigurable OADM (ROADM)
• Optical amplifiers
• Transponders/Muxponders
 OPTICAL TRANSMITTER BLOCK DIAGRAM

Detects pulses of Creates pulses of light

electrical charge • Power measured in
• Power measured in watts (W) decibel-milliwatts (dBm)
• Amplitude measured in • Relative amplitude
volts (V) measured in decibels (dB)
Electrical-to-optical
+ 1 0 1 1 (E-O) + 1 0 1 1
conversion dB
+ - V
- -
E-O

Electrical conductor Optical fiber

 OPTICAL RECEIVER BLOCK

Detects pulses of light

• Power measured in Creates pulses of electrical charge
decibel-milliwatt (dBm) • Power measured in watts (W)
• Relative amplitude • Amplitude measured in volts (V)
measured in decibels (dB)

Optical-to-electrical (O-E)
1 0 1 1 conversion 1 0 1 1
+ +
dB V
- - + -
O-E

Optical fiber Electrical conductor

 DWDM MUX AND DEMUX FILTERS BLOCK

N light pulses of different wavelengths

1, 2, ….N
1 1
Composite
2 signal 2

3 3

DWDM
fiber
N N

From N To N
transmitters Multiplexer Demultiplexer receivers
 OADM BLOCK

Original Pass through path New composite

composite signal signal

OADM
one signal
DWDM
fiber

Drop path Signsl 1 drop Signal 2 add Add path

New data stream,
same wavelength
 ROADM ARCHITECTURE
44 Ch. (Pass-through/Add/Block)

Pass Splitter
West Pass-Through Wavelengths
DWDM
Add
Pass
Signal
44 Ch.
DeMux block drop block
Add drop
Add Drop
Transponder
Wavelengths Wavelengths
Module

Network Network
  Network
  Network
Element Element Element Element
1 3 3 1

Transponder
Drop Add Module
drop block drop block
Wavelengths 44 Ch. DeMux Wavelengths
Add

DWDM Pass

Signal Pass-Through Wavelengths Add

Splitter
Pass
East
44 Ch. (Pass-through/Add/Block)
 OPTICAL AMPLIFER BLOCK
• Unidirectional operation
• Extends the reach of a DWDM span

Amplified output
Attenuated input composite signal
composite signal

OA
Powerin Powerout

DWDM
fiber
 TRANSPONDER BLOCK DIAGRAM
ITU-T
compliant wavelength
Non-ITU-T
compliant wavelength
O-E-O
wavelength conversion
Tx 15xx.xx nm
850, 1310, 1550 nm
Transponder
G.709 Enabled
Optical fiber Rx
 MUXPONDER BLOCK
ITU-T
compliant wavelength
Multiple Non-ITU-T Multiplexing and O-E-O
Compliant Clients wavelength conversion

850, 1310, 1550 nm

Tx 15xx.xx nm
Muxponder

G.709 Enabled
Rx

Optical fibers
 DWDM SYSTEM
Transponder interface

Tx OEO
Rx
OEO
Rx Tx
Client OA OADM OA Client
Tx Rx
Rx Tx
Rx Tx
Mux and Mux and
demux demux
To client devices
Direct interface
 WHY PER CHANNEL EQUALIZATION

AMP
Express Path
Optical Power Equalized Channels
Add/Drop
Path

AMP
OADM Without Power Equalization

Channels with Unequal Optical Power

Why Per-Channel Optical Power Equalization

• For amplifiers to operate correctly, all channels must be equalized in power.
• If channel powers are not equal, more gain will go to the higher powered channels.
• Channel power is inherently unequal due to different insertion losses, different
paths (add path vs. express/pass-through), etc.
• Controlling the optical power of each channel in an optical network is required.
 CONSTANT POWER MODE
Add Channels Example Span Loss Increase Example
Total Output Power +2dBm Total Output Power +2dBm
Per Channel Per Channel
Power -15dBm Per Channel Power -15dBm Per Channel
Power -1dBm Power -1dBm
AMP AMP

Initial condition – 2 channels Initial condition – Gain 14dB

Total Output Power +2dBm

Total Output Power +2dBm
Per Channel Per Channel
Power -15dBm Per Channel Power -17dBm Per Channel
Power -4dBm Power -1dBm
AMP AMP

Adding 2 channels Amp set to Constant Power Mode Initial condition – Gain 16dB
 CONSTANT GAIN MODE

Add Channels Example Span Loss Increase Example

Total Output Power +2dBm Total Output Power +2dBm
Per Channel Per Channel
Power -15dBm Per Channel Power -15dBm Per Channel
Power -1dBm Power -1dBm
AMP AMP

Initial condition – Gain 14dB Initial condition – Gain 14dB

Total Output Power +5dBm Total Output Power -1dBm

Per Channel
Per Channel
Power -15dBm Per Channel Power -18dBm Per Channel
Power -1dBm Power -4dBm
AMP AMP

Gain Stays Constant – Gain 14dB Gain stays the Same – Gain 14dB
OTN NETWORKING PRINCIPLES
OTN - INTRODUCTION
• OTN has been initially introduced in 2001 to provide the following operational benefits
- OAM for the optical layer
- Coarse granular grooming & switching layer to reduce complexity
- Service transparency Less complexity
- SDH/SONET transport including overhead and timing transparency More transparency
- Global transport standard Full flexibility
- Synchronization transparency
- Cross operator SLA verification and fault sectionalization
- multiple layers of TCM
- Fragmentation avoidance
• OTN has developed and adopted in the standardization to support
- Transparency for Ethernet and other services
- Additional mapping and multiplexing schemes for ODU0, ODU2e, ODU3e, ODU4, ODUflex
- Delay Measurement
- Lines rates up to 100G and non-normative supplements for 40G and 10G line rates
- Survivability and protection
- Large range of client interfaces
OTN BASIC PRINCIPLES
 OTN MAPPING
ODU0
x2

ODU1
ODU1 OTU1
x8

ODU2 OTU2
x4

xn

ODUflex

OTU2e
ODU2 x32

x16

ODU3 OTU3
xn

x4

x3

ODU2e
x32

x16
Legacy G.709 Hierarchy
xn

x4

x4
ODU3e2 OTU3e2 Oct 09 G.709 Amendment 3
ODU3
x1

x80
Non normative (G.sup43)
x40

xn

x10

x10
ODU4 OTU4
x2

ODU4
 HOW DOES OTN RELATE TO DWDM?
OPU
OTN

ODU

OTU OTU OTU

OCh
DWDM

OMS
OTS OTS OTS
 OPTICAL TRANSPORT NETWORK (OTN) HIERARCHY
SCALABLE, UNIFIED PHOTONIC AND ELECTRONIC TRANSPORT NETWORKING

ODU switching ODU switching

Electronic domain

1:N N:1
WDM switching Photonic domain WDM switching

1:N N:1
Line amplifier Line amplifier

Optical Transport
Section (OTS)

Optical Multiplex Section (OMS) - multi-wavelengths

Optical Channel (OCh) - wavelength

Optical Channel Data Unit (ODU) - sub-wavelength

OTN Network Architectures
 ODU3 STM64 1GE

ODUK SWITCHING – OTN CLIENT/LINE SWITCHING

OT OT OT OT OT • Infrastructure Oriented Networking

• DWDM transponders usually support one rate of client
interface to fill one wavelength. When a service mix of
1GE, STM-16/OC-48, 10GE, FC and 40GE is required to
OCh switching be transported, this can not be achieved with one single
transponder and thus results in inefficient bandwidth
utilization.
• DWDM Transponders can provide 1+1 protection but no
control plane and still represent a single point of failure
ODU3 STM64 1GE
• Muxponders/Switchponders can be understood as
transponders functionally with separated client ports
CIF CIF CIF CIF flexibly connected through the central ODUk switching
OCS switching fabric to the line ports. This way they
LIF

• Enable efficient wavelength filling by flexible client to

LIF

line assignment through an independent fabric

1+1 MSP
SP SP SP SP
• Avoid cascading of transponders
• Enable a no single point of failure architecture
OCh switching
• ROADM control plane eventually sufficient
• Coherent interfaces strongly improve photonic
restoration times
C/L switching increases transponder flexibility
ODUk Switching – OTN centralized ODU Switching
ODU3 STM64 1GE
• Service Oriented Networking
• Muxponders/Switchponders and centralized ODU
CIF CIF CIF CIF switching can be understood as a service oriented
OCS switching networking.

LIF
• Non-blocking ODU switching enables

LIF
SP SP SP SP 1+1 MSP • Networking at Lambda, Port, and Sub-Port level
• Restoration with a per service SLA
OCh switching
• Ultra fast and fine granular electrical restoration of
client signals/service level
• Sub-lambda grooming between line ports
• Maximizes network utilization and extends network
lifetime
• Allows for integration into other vendor DWDM
networks together w/ coherent 40/100G
• Transparent switching and restoration layer w/o
ROADMs
OTN / • Multilayer design optimization w/ NPT
photonic Converged
switches backbone

OCS switching increases overall network efficiency and supports L1 Control Plane
 OTN NETWORKING
VALUE PROPOSITION

KEY BENEFITS
• Flexible and scalable service aggregation, any client to any line
FLEXIBLE • Increases wavelength efficiency
GROOMING • Eliminates cascades of muxponders
• Lower footprint, simplified equipment, simplified cabling
• Simplified planning, simplified operations

KEY BENEFITS
• Networking at Lambda, Port, and Sub-Port level
• Multilayer design optimization, forwarding bits at the most economic layer
OTN
• Maximizes network utilization and extends network lifetime
NETWORKING
• Multi service networking with traffic segregation
• Service transparency with extended OAM
• Deterministic latency aware network behavior
KEY BENEFITS
• Increases service availability by guarantying disjointness thru multiple layers
MULTI-LAYER • Recovers faster by coordinating response to failures
GMPLS • Harmonizes provisioning, operations and maintenances across layers
• Scales the network by protecting bits at the most economic layer
 OTN NETWORKING
MULTIPLE NETWORK DESIGN OPTIONS

OCh Switching DWDM + C/L switching DWDM + OCS

Nx 1x

Photonic and
Networking Photonic Photonic
ODU
Aggregated and
Aggregated and Aggregated and
protected by
Lower-rate services protected by stackable networked by a single
aggregation cards
OCS OCS
(e.g. 12xany)
Optimum solution for
Limited low-rate Large amounts of low-
Application mix of low- and high-
traffic rate traffic
rate traffic
Flexible aggregation Multilayer design
Network design Networking at the
Simplified equipment optimization
benefits lowest layer
Simplified planning (optimum mix of grooming
and offload)
Capacity and Reach
 FLEXIBLE MODULATION – REACH VS. CAPACITY
Modulation Baud Rate Line Rate Payload Rate Distance

BPSK 28 GBaud 56 Gbps 50 Gbps 10,000 km

QPSK 32 GBaud 112 Gbps 100 Gbps 6,800 km

16-QAM 35 GBaud 224 Gbps 200 Gbps 1,200 km

TRADITIONALLY DWDM CAPACITY IS LIMITED BY THE
CHANNEL SPACING IMPOSED BY THE 50GHZ ITU GRID.

50 GHz ITU Grid “Gridless or FlexSpectrum”

Rigid Spacing Superchannel with Minimal Spacing

Wasted Spectrum Efficient Spectrum Use

Tightly spaced Superchannels deliver ~30% increase in capacity

ROADM brought flexibility to DWDM networks.
Any wavelength. Anywhere.

But it was static flexibility.

Moves and changes required a truck roll.
Thank you