| Comparison of WAN Technologies | | | | |
| Introduction: | | | | Difference between SDH and SONET: |
| The advances technologies such as ISDN, Frame | | | | SDH is the synchronous digital hierarchy that is |
| Relay, ATM and SDH/SONET are being integrated | | | | use every where apart from in the USA, Canada |
| for the data and voice traffic being transmitted | | | | and Japan. SONET (Synchronous optical network) |
| over the internet. In olden days the telephone | | | | is the American counterpart of SDH. Designs of |
| lines used carried voice traffic in the form of | | | | this transmission technology in America begin as |
| analog and were know as Plain Old Telephone | | | | far back as 1985. The SONET basic bit rate is |
| System (POTS), but at present the telephones | | | | 51.48 Mbit/s and is named STS-1 (synchronous |
| and the computers use digital technology for the | | | | transport signal). If the bit rate is transmit above |
| voice and data traffic. Devices like modems are | | | | an optical cable system, the signal is named as |
| being used to convert analog into digital and vice | | | | OC-1 (optical container) |
| versa. As more and more peoples are using | | | | |
| internet the data and voice traffic is being | | | | SONET Signal |
| transmitted over the same line. In my report I will | | | | Bit Rates |
| focus on some of the modern technologies for | | | | SDH Signals |
| voice and data traffic and the devices that are | | | | STS-1 |
| being used for the purpose in the Wide Area | | | | 51.84 Mbit/s |
| Network. At present the most emerging | | | | STM-0 |
| technology being used in the Wan is VOIP. It | | | | STS-3 |
| transmits voice over the internet using the | | | | 155.52 Mbit/s |
| packets. The users can transmit audio and video | | | | STM-1 |
| over a data network. The analog signal is | | | | STS-12 |
| converted into digital using the modem. The | | | | 622.08 Mbit/s |
| modem converts analog signals into small digital | | | | STM-4 |
| packets to be transmitted over the network. At | | | | STS-48 |
| the receiver end the data is demodulated and the | | | | 2488.32 Mbit/s |
| file is converted into an AVG file. This procedure | | | | STM-16 |
| is being used in VOIP, Video conferencing and | | | | STS-192 |
| streaming of audio and video clips on the internet. | | | | 9953.28 Mbit/s |
| With this the WAN technologies are emerging and | | | | STM-64 |
| many WAN devices are being used. | | | | |
| | | | | Table: Levels in Hierarchy |
| WIDE AREA NETWORKS: | | | | |
| Several Local Area Network connected is know | | | | Public Data Network: |
| as Wide Area Network. This helps in transmitting | | | | The people around the world use public network |
| data to longer distances using a single network. | | | | to send and receive data which is also know as |
| Better example for this would be different | | | | internet. If a user is making a call using the |
| branches of a company around the world are | | | | internet then its priority will be high because the |
| interconnected using the Wide Area Network. The | | | | user is using an expensive technology. If its |
| branches use LAN in the branch and WAN | | | | security and reliability is ignored then more and |
| between different branches which helps the | | | | more private networks will be formed by |
| business to grow at a faster pace and with | | | | different companies which will lead to congestion |
| security. | | | | of the network The common carrier subscriptions |
| | | | | which own telecom services are known as public |
| WAN DEVICES: | | | | networks. It supports the transmission of voice |
| The various WAN devices available in the market | | | | traffic over the internet using the modems |
| are being manufactured on the lines of reliability | | | | through the telephone sockets and gain |
| and security of the network. Some of them are | | | | automated access to users around the world. In |
| | | | | this there is no wastage of bandwidth as the calls |
| Router: | | | | are being made over the internet and this will be |
| In the network a router helps to connect one or | | | | a reliable and suitable for small companies |
| more than one computers. Normally for home | | | | |
| users they are helpful in taking a single broadband | | | | ATM: |
| connection and spreading | | | | ATM is the short form for Asynchronous |
| | | | | Transfer Mode. Circuit switching usually requires |
| | | | | that packets are placed into position in recurring |
| Figure: Routerit to other computers. Backbone of | | | | frames, i.e. synchronous, in time, in step according |
| an internet is usually by industrial routers which | | | | to use and/or network clocks. Asynchronous |
| are used in the telecom industry. Each router has | | | | transmission allow cells to be placed anywhere in |
| a table configured to make connections which lead | | | | the data stream. ATM at present has speeds of |
| to a group of IP addresses. The routing table also | | | | 155Mbps (OC-3 ports), 622Mbps (OC-12 ports), 1.2 |
| have the rules to handle different types of traffic. | | | | Gbps and 2.5 Gbps. Since the cells are rigid in |
| Switch: | | | | length (53 octets, or bytes) quite than variable |
| A switch is every so often called a 'intelligent hub', | | | | such as an Ethernet frame, they can be switch in |
| and at the present that they are no longer | | | | hardware to a certain extent than software and |
| considerably more costly than the hubs they have | | | | these accounts for the high speeds that can be |
| roughly replaced them completely. A switch | | | | attain than Ethernet, Token Ring and FDDI. |
| works alike as a hub, with the aim of to connect | | | | ATM is very lithe and allow the transmission of a |
| devices to let them to work as a single segment. | | | | variety of media type such as voice, video, data |
| However, it does not repeatedly transmit traffic | | | | files etc. all demanding the network in changed |
| to each and every port. Whenever a frame of | | | | ways, video, for example can be extremely |
| data enters into the switch, it save the physical | | | | subject to a sudden slowdown in network routine |
| address (MAC address) and the port it come | | | | as altering speed video is very disturbing. ATM |
| from in its MAC address table. Then it checks the | | | | allows committed circuits with certain bandwidths |
| target MAC address in the table, and if it | | | | and differing needs to be set up at the same |
| recognises it sends the frame to the suitable port. | | | | time ( Quality of Service (QoS) can be locate up |
| If the address is not the table, or address is a | | | | and is certain at connection stage by means of |
| broadcast address (intended for every machine | | | | parameter such as delay, delay jitter and error |
| on the local network), then it do the equivalent as | | | | rate base on the function and the position of the |
| a hub and transmits the frame throughout every | | | | network at the moment of connection. Two |
| port apart from the originating port. | | | | priority for traffic are defined; High priority and |
| Hub: | | | | Low priority. Low priority traffic force is leftover |
| A hub is a tool for connecting various Ethernet | | | | if around are switch congestion trouble. Particularly |
| devices (usually PCs) to outline a single segment - | | | | voice and video traffics include to be transferred |
| a part of a network that is unconnected from | | | | by means of previous methods such as MPLS |
| other parts of the network. It has several ports | | | | over ATM and IP over ATM, where QoS maintain |
| throughout which devices are joined, and while it | | | | advantages of the ATM are subjugated in |
| receives data it send it out over through every | | | | exacting (Cemal Kocak, et.al, 2007). There is no |
| port apart from the one it come in through. | | | | joint media or conflict based protocols in ATM, |
| Initially Ethernet networks use coaxial cables. Each | | | | each machine has 155Mbps all to itself. In ATM |
| computer was fixed with a transceiver, which is | | | | you be able to multiplex 'cell streams' so as to |
| connected straight into a long part of coaxial cable | | | | may be for totally different application, the |
| - a bus. This means that the traffic flowing on the | | | | structure works in 'connection oriented' form |
| network is visible to every one on the network. | | | | thereby guarantee cell sequencing for those cells |
| Modem: | | | | in a exacting connection. |
| The short form for modulator and demodulator is | | | | Frame Relay: |
| Modem. It converts digital frequencies of the | | | | It is developed by the values or technology base |
| computer in to analog to make it transmit over | | | | on ISDN (Piliouras, 2005). The communication is |
| the telephone or cable lines. At the receiver end | | | | among end users by following the interface of |
| the modem successfully demodulates the analog | | | | public network and private network (Taylor, |
| into digital and gives it to the computer to carry | | | | 2000). It handles high traffic on internet at high |
| out appropriate functions. | | | | speeds and on the whole handles data networking |
| | | | | issue at high speed by functioning on following |
| Figure: Modem | | | | principles: |
| | | | | Solution for errors like congestion occurs, |
| | | | | discarding frames and means to improve errors |
| | | | | at end user method. It works on applications of |
| WAN FACILITIES: | | | | data and is based on packet switching (Smith, |
| ISDN: | | | | 1996). The data is distributed into frames of |
| The replacement for old age analog technology is | | | | variable length similar as in packet switching, which |
| the ISDN. It was implemented to create a more | | | | is sent to target through frame relay networks. |
| reliable and faster transport mechanism. It is | | | | The difference between frame relay and packet |
| cheaper than a leased line and it takes seconds to | | | | switching is that frame relay is second layer |
| install it. The standard ISDN, Broadband ISDN is | | | | protocol of OSI where as packet switching is third |
| the version most people are aware of which is | | | | layer protocol but frame relay is quite |
| the ATM. | | | | straightforward compared to packet switching |
| The end equipment protocol is defined by the ITU | | | | linking locations all the way through access circuit |
| I and the switch/network protocol is defined by | | | | to networks (Green, 2000). Carrier information |
| the ITU Q series. | | | | rate (CIR) is the element which is used to charge |
| Structure of ISDN | | | | and it guarantees the transporting the carrier |
| The protocol model for ISDN is represented in the | | | | through, Access Circuit cost is classify by LEC and |
| following diagram: | | | | port speed which is a manifold of 64 Kbps. |
| | | | | |
| | | | | CONCLUSIONS: |
| Figure: Structure of ISDN | | | | The idea of information backdrop, issue |
| | | | | concerning technology, in force scenarios and |
| SONET/SDH: | | | | advance to protocols management for WAN |
| With the beginning of PCM tools in the 1960s, | | | | technologies and a lot of unresolved promotion |
| communications networks are steadily | | | | and technological questions concerning coexist of |
| transformed to digital technology above the next | | | | conventional communications of voice. The WAN |
| few years (Werner, Fundamentals and SONET | | | | technology should further develop earlier than the |
| testing). To deal with the stipulate for ever high | | | | considerable possible acceptance and also |
| bit rates, a multiplex hierarchy called the | | | | customer service and billing methods. Additional |
| plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) evolve. The | | | | determine execution of WAN and efficient |
| bit rates begin with the fundamental multiplex rate | | | | structure of billing method for calls using VOIP |
| of 3 Mbit/s with additional stages of 8, 34 and | | | | system and also sophisticated procedures. |
| 140 Mbit/s. The 1980s see a start in the growth | | | | Advancement or adoption of WAN technologies |
| of the synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH), with | | | | will in the end resolve services, price efficiency |
| the purpose to eliminate the disadvantage inbuilt in | | | | and Quality of Service. The trouble for session |
| PDH. SDH bring the subsequent advantages to | | | | timeout, issue of reliability and solution of feeble |
| network provider. | | | | slow link have to be resolve. The mixing of data |
| 1. High transmission rates | | | | protection system is necessary for errors |
| Transmission rates of up and about 10 Gbit/s can | | | | correction and dependable to run the arbitrary |
| be achieve in current SDH systems. | | | | data or voice traffic over the internet internet. |
| 1. Simplified add and drop function | | | | |
| When compared to the old PDH system, it is a lot | | | | References: |
| easier to take out and insert low-bit rate channels | | | | Cathrine Paquet, 2001, "Building Cisco Remote |
| on or after or into the high-speed bit streams in | | | | Access Networks" Cisco Press CompTia, Que |
| SDH. | | | | Publishing. |
| 1. Reliability | | | | Cemal Kocak, et.al, MPLS over ATM and IP over |
| Modern SDH networks consist of various | | | | ATM methods for multimedia applications, |
| repeated back-up and repair mechanism to deal | | | | Computer Standards & Interfaces 31 (2009), |
| with system faults. | | | | pp 153–160, 2007. |
| 1. Future platform for advanced services. | | | | |
| At present, SDH is the suitable platform for the | | | | Dennis & Fitzgerald, 2005, "Business Data |
| advanced services ranging from ISDN, POTS | | | | Communications Networking", John Wiley & |
| through to data communications (LAN, WAN). | | | | Sons. |
| 1. Interconnectivity | | | | |
| SDH makes it easy to install or set up new | | | | Gupta C P, 2006, "Data Communications and |
| gateways in between various network providers | | | | Computer Networks", India, Prentice Hall of India. |
| and SONET systems. | | | | |
| | | | | Huggins D, Ferguson B, 2002, "Designing a |
| | | | | Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and |
| | | | | Network Infrastructure", Que Publishing. |
| Figure: SDH Layer Model | | | | Accessed 5th May 2009. |
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