Synchronous digital multiplexing systems.

The SDH system.

 Synchronous transmission-multiplexing systems;
 Advantages;
 Standards / new generations.

 SDH/SONET network topologies;

 Integration into a global telecommunication network.

 SDH/SONET multiplexers;
 Types of multiplexers;
 SDH regenerators.

 SDH/SONET synchronous networks;

 Topology of the synchronization network.

 Principles of the SDH/SONET multiplexing;

 The SDH/SONET multiplexing hierarchy.
 Disadvantages of the PDH transmission – multiplexing system:
 No unitary international standardization of the PDH transmission –
multiplexing systems;
 several standards coexist in parallel:
 the American standard;
 the Japanese standard;
 the European standard.
 Low flexibility and high costs due to the asynchronous multiplexing;
 Limited management and maintenance capabilities;
 Separate management and maintenance operations for each service;
 Difficulties related to the system state verification;
 High sensitivity to faults;
 Difficulties related to the provisioning of supplementary transmission
capabilities;
 Low flexibility network topology;
 only point to point connections are ensured;
 The mentioned disadvantages are due to the following
aspects:
 The network nodes are not synchronized;
 No supplementary transmission capabilities are ensured for the
transmission of the management and maintenance information.
 The advantages offered by the synchronous transmission –
multiplexing systems are shortly the following:
 Multiplexing without positive or negative justification;
 in special cases it is possible to do multiplexing by justification – if the
synchronization connection is interrupted.
 Reference clock standardized in the entire network;
 Direct access to individual channels;
 the used multiplexing technique allows access to the individual
streams, without being necessary to demultiplex the entire multiplex
stream;
 it allows the flexible switching of the individual streams from one high
speed channel to another channel.
 High rates for large bandwidth applications;
 Increased transport capacity for monitoring and network control;
 Efficient and flexible network management systems;
 it ensures the adaptation of the network configuration and provisioning
of supplementary transport capacities;
 Integration of the previous plesiochronous multiplexing
techniques;
 Efficient and flexible monitoring of faults and alarms and the
possibility of automatic correction of some problems;
 The mentioned capabilities are:
 network management;
 multiplexing / switching of elementary flows;
 These capabilitis are allowed by the use of special management,
monitoring and control channels;
 these channels have high bit rates (hundreds of kbps).

 In spite of universal standardization there are two synchronous

transmission – multiplexing systems, namely:
 SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy);
 it is the European system;
 SONET (Synchronous Optical NETwork);
 it is the American system;
 Similarities between the two systems:
 they use the same multiplexing algorithm;
 they have the same control information;
 they have transport frames with similar dimensions and structure;
  Differences between the two systems:
 the basic transport frames are not identical - they have different dimensions;
 the mapping of the plesiochronous tributaries is different.

 The SDH/SONET transmission – multiplexing systems were designed initially for transmission
of the PDH and PCM frames;
 The structure of the SDH/SONET frames was chosen to allow the easy insertion of the PDH frames in the data
structures characteristic to the synchronous systems.
 It is possible to have transmission of data flows generated by other types of sources due to the following
aspects:
 synchronization of the network nodes;
 efficient multiplexing technique;
 complex and flexible network management/ control;
 it is necessary to use appropriate mapping algorithms of the source flows;
 it is the key to the “Next Generation SDH/SONET” systems.
 There are 4 types of network topologies:
 Linear topology;
 used when the appropriate network topology is linear (ex. access networks in a high speed network)
and when it is not necessary to have high protection from faults.
 Ring topology;
 most often used;
 ensures a high management flexibility and good protection to faults.
 Mesh topology;
 each node is connected with a number of other nodes;
 high management flexibility;
 high protection to faults;
 high redundancy of the physical channels between nodes.
 Star topology;
 used to connect distant and less important nodes;
 ensures low protection to faults.
 The most used topologies in synchronous networks are the
ring topologies;
 Types of ring topologies:
 Network with one ring;
 each station can establish a connection with all other stations and has
access to a high speed network (long distance network);
 the stations have access to all information available in the ring;
 fault protection is low.
 Network with two rings;
 two data transmission channels with opposite directions, the same
information being transmitted in both directions;
 solves the problems of cable breaks;
 in the case of a cable break it is possible to switch on the other ring or
even it is possible to close the ring in the affected stations (self-healing
rings);
 The reliability of the network can be increased by interconnecting two double
ring topologies in two points;

 Network with four rings;

 two rings for transmission in one direction and two rings for transmission in the
opposite direction;
 very good protection against faults, but high redundancy.
 Synchronous network topology composed of four rings
 Ring type SONET/SDH international network topology which connects
several national networks;
 The national networks:
 OC-12 - SONET ring networks (equivalent with STM-4 – SDH);
 networks with 622Mbps bit rate.
 The international network:
 OC-48 - SONET ring (equivalent with STM-16 – SDH);
 networks with 2488Mbps bit rate.
 The multiplexers from the international network ensure the connection with the
national networks;
 some multiplexers from the national networks are also telephone switches.
 Example of international SDH/SONET network which
connects several national networks;
 A hypothetical scenario of SDH and SONET networks covering a large geographical area;
 Digital networks which connect several digital transmission systems with different bit rates:
 PDH and SDH/SONET multiplexing hierarchies allocated to digital sources;
 high speed SDH/SONET multiplexing hierarchies interconnecting different digital transmission systems.
 in the access network the bit rates are smaller or equal with that of the STM-1 frame (the basic frame of the SDH
system);
 the high speed (long distance) synchronous network uses STM-4, STM-16 or higher hierarchies (or equivalent
SONET hierarchies).

 Note:
 the STM-1 transport frame (SDH) frame has a total bit rate of 150Mbps;
 the STS-1, transport frame (SONET) system has a total bit rate of 50Mbps;
 the STM-0 frame is identical with STS-1 frame and the OC-X and STS-X frames are identical;
 the OC-X frames are associated with optical carries and STS-X frames with electrical carriers.
 Example of network including PDH, SDH and SONET systems
 The multiplexers used in the synchronous SDH and SONET networks are
more complex equipments than the multiplexers used in the PDH systems;
 The multiplexing is not a simple bit interleaving like in the case of PDH systems;

 No distinction is made between multiplexers and line terminating units;

 The basic characteristics of these multiplexers are:
 provisioning of direct access to the multiplexed basic streams;
 multiplexing in the output stream of the input streams with different bit rate and structures;
 increased flexibility for management of the transmission capacity;
 more complex multiplexing technique than a simple bit or group of bits interleaving.
 Some SDH/SONET multiplexers realize also switching
operations;
 It is possible to transfer elementary streams between the multiplexed
ones;
 There are three types of SDH/SONET multiplexers, namely:
 1. Terminal multiplexer
 Is the most simple multiplexer type;
 It is equipped with synchronous and plesiochronous line interfaces;
 the subscriber interfaces are located in the access module (AM);
 Functioning:
 On the line side the incoming STM-N or OC-N frame (higher order multiplex
frame) is disassembled in elementary STM-1 or STS-1 frames which are
distributed to the subscriber interfaces;
 On the subscriber side the signal “loops” can be switched, the multiplexer
functions also as a switch of subscriber channels;
 In the transmit direction the signals arriving from the subscriber interfaces are
assembled into STM-1 or STS-1 frames which compose after that higher order
STM-N or STS-N frames for transmission on the line;
 2. Add/Drop multiplexer;
 Are equipped with:
 synchronous and asynchronous line interfaces;
 a special bus ((Add bus + Drop Bus) which allows the insertion and
extraction of elementary PDH signals into / from the STM-N or OC-N
frames;
 subscriber interfaces which allow the insertion of the tributary flows.
 Functioning:
 The higher order STM-N or OC-N, signal is disassembled into elementary STM-1 or STS-1 frames;
 The basic frames are applied to the signal extraction bus, the DropBus;
 the extraction of elementary PDH signal takes place.
 The subscriber signals which have to be transmitted are applied to the signal insertion bus, the Add-Bus;
 the subscriber signals are assembled into appropriate data structures;
 then are inserted in basic STM-1 or STS-1 frames.
 The multiplexing / demultiplexing process doesn’t require the complete disassembling of the SDH/SONET
multiplex signal;
 The multiplexer includes a switching module of the input signals;
 when no signal insertion/extraction is performed the Add and Drop busses can be interconnected;
 it is possible to have switching between different subscriber interfaces.
 3. Cross-connect multiplexer;
 It is a switching matrix equipped with a (large) number of ports
(interface modules) which can be line or subscriber interfaces;
 the digital signals received at a given input port can be connected
through the switching matrix to the corresponding output port;
 the multiplexed signals on one input port can be disassembled into
individual signals and sent to different output ports.
 Functioning:
 The incoming STM-N or OC-N signal is disassembled into individual STM-1 or STS-1
signals which are then routed to the input modules (IM);
 The signals coming from the subscriber interfaces are assembled into STM-1 or STS-1
frames and are sent to the input modules;
 The input modules disassemble the STM-1 or STS-1 signals into independent basic units
(containers);
 These units are sent via the switching matrix to the corresponding output modules (OM);
 OMs re-assemble the STM-1 or STS-1 frames.
 An output multiplexer combines the individual STM-1 or STS-1 signals into one STM-N or
OC-N signal;
 this structure allows the data channel exchange between the input and output lines, between the
input/output lines and subscriber lines and between the subscriber lines.
 In the PDH networks the regenerators have as tasks:
 the regeneration of the signal;
 check of the coding rule;
 fault localization;
 supplementary, to ensure a service channel;
 the signal passes transparently through regenerators;

 In the SDH networks the regenerators have several other tasks:

 the signal is descrambled and the structure of the STM-N frame is analyzed;
 the quality of transmission is evaluated;
 the management information is evaluated;
 supplementary data and service channels are provided.

 Some headers of the frames are rebuild in each regenerator;

 fault localization is performed by a management system based on the information supplied by all elements
of the system;
 are not necessary special fault locating equipments.
 The SONET multiplexing hierarchy;
 Structure of the transport frames and associated bit rates;
 The equivalence with the SDH multiplexing hierarchy.

 Remark:
 the frame (level) STM-0 is not used usually;
 the terms STS and OC represent the same thing;
 STS refers to the electrical signal;
 OC refers to the optical signal.