White Paper

ROADMs in Network Architectures

Advanced optical network technologies such as Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) form the foundation for communications infrastructures, enabling worldwide traffic aggregation and metro and regional network consolidation. Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs) are anticipated to deliver new flexibility to DWDM networks by enabling dynamic, transparent optical wavelength add/drop functioning. ROADMs add considerable agility and robustness to network architectures, vastly improving service velocity and lowering the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
ROADM BENEFITS Figure 1. ROADMs enable optical bypass and add/drop All-Optical Express Fabric

Photonic Switch

{
WDM Terminal

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Optical Add/Drop

2.5, 10, or 40 Gb/s LH or ULH Ring/Mesh

ROADM Technology
OADM technology delivers greater flexibility and cost savings on optical transport platforms and enables add/drop of optical channels anywhere within an optical network linear span or ring. These channels can be wavelengths with any bandwidth rate2.5, 10, and 40 Gb/s currently; 100 Gb/s in the future. The all-optical multi-degree ROADM functionality added to Cienas CN 4200

Explosive growth of integrated voice, data, and video services and packet-based data trafficsuch as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), Ethernet Private Line/Local Area Network (EPL/LAN), grid computing, and storage networkinghas made 10 Gb/s a common aggregation trunk speed for Optical Transport Networks (OTNs) transporting the aggregated traffic of multiple lower rate services, such as Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), 10/100 Ethernet, and SONET/SDH. ROADM technology helps minimize much of the guesswork associated with capacity planning and addresses changing bandwidth requirements by automating implementation and reconfiguration processes. Minimizing guesswork reduces risk and capital and operational costs from the deployment of an optical network. Operators face the additional challenge of scaling the network rapidly, which implies a reduction of time-to-service provisioning, to offer powerful advantages for strategic initiatives and revenue realization.

FlexSelect

Advanced Services Platform lends flexibility to add/drop wavelengths with reconfigurable OADM technology. In contrast, fixed-filter OADM technology generally prevents reconfiguration. ROADMs automate and simplify the planning and configuration of optical networks by allowing any of the 40 wavelengths on a fiber to be added, dropped, or expressed optically in any combination through a node. ROADM technology also allows traffic to pass through a network location transparently in the optical domain without OpticalElectrical-Optical (OEO) conversions, as shown in Figure 1. ROADMs ease the planning process for DWDM-based networks by allowing the addition, removal, or modification of one or more wavelength channels within a network automatically, with minimal user intervention. Formerly, the network tuning process was performed manually and required considerable equipment, traffic management, and personnel.
Ring C Improved

utilization

Ring B

Ring A

On-demand routings

Figure 2. Ring partitioning and on-demand routing

ROADMs in Network Architectures

CN 4200 ROADM
Since the development of costeffective, reliable next-generation ROADMs, Ciena has integrated several new optical technologies into its FlexSelect Architecture via the CN 4200. Enabled by Wavelength
3 degree node 5 degree node

Selective Switching (WSS) technology, these multi-degree optical ROADMs provide a higher level of component integration by delivering wavelength blocking and port tunability. Each DWDM wavelength entering the CN 4200 can be switched independently to any one of several output ports, in any combination. These multi-port wavelength switches provide port tunability and the ability to dynamically route multiple, non-contiguous wavelength channels for optical ring partitioning and on-demand routing, as shown in Figure 2. Multi-degree ROADM for the CN 4200 can serve local client systems or connect to fiber routes reaching other nodes. As a result, the CN 4200 is reconfigurable up to eight degrees, enabling networks with spur configurations or a fully meshed architecture, as shown in Figure 3. With this added flexibility, network operators can change the ingress and egress points of all wavelengths within a DWDM architecture. An ingress DWDM wavelength (shown as red in Figure 4) can be reconfigured automatically from port 8 to port 3, which can be either a drop port on the node or a DWDM port expressed to another node. This ability redirects stranded optical capacity to match evolving bandwidth requirements without network re-engineering. Bandwidth requirements over the lifetime of the network can deviate substantially from original forecasts. The CN 4200 multi-degree ROADM option also reduces the need for network planning and the upfront cost of deploying a network. The ability to reallocate optical capacity after a network has been deployed simplifies planning for bandwidth growth. Reconfigurable
Port 1

Figure 3. ROADMs enable various networking architectures, including spurs and mesh configuration, with nodes up to eight degrees

networks can share a limited set of wavelength resources within WDM domains. As a result, instead of having access to 40 channels of capacity per domain, channel wavelengths can be utilized at two or more domains within an optical network, helping eliminate provisioning delays and increasing customer satisfaction and revenue streams. Even a small network-blocking probability can delay orders

Port 2 Port 3 Port 8 Port 9

Port 1 Port 2

Port 3

Port 8

Port 9

Rearrange: Red Port 3

Port 2 Port 3

Figure 4. WSS-based ROADM

Port 8

Port 9

ROADMs in Network Architectures

and diminish revenue. CN 4200 ROADM technology significantly improves flexibility and economics and provides the advantages inherent in a purely optical technology optimized for full-wavelength services.
THE VALUE OF OTN IN SUB-WAVELENGTH LIGHTPATH RECONFIGURATION

grooming similar to SONET/SDH containers. Howeverunlike legacy technologiesOTN is transparent to the individual services it carries, which can include any combination of SONET/SDH and packet-based services, such as 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and FICON/ESCON, as shown in Figure 5. More importantly, OTN provides robust Operations, Administration and Management (OAM), which enables end-to-end, service-specific performance management and fault sectionalization over any arbitrary topology. Depending on the traffic mix, eROADM functionality can reduce the number of wavelengths required to carry the service by 50 to 85 percent, lowering initial and total costs by extending the networks life and enabling deployment of much smaller line systems.
LEVERAGING ROADM TO OPTIMIZE COSTS AND BENEFITS

The sub-wavelength grooming and aggregation capability of the CN 4200 permits traffic add/drop at the sub-wavelength service delivery level, and grooming of any traffic at any speed and protocol at any node. The ability to add/drop traffic and multiplex subwavelength traffic down to 155 Mb/s, combined with the optical ROADM ability to switch wavelengths, permits maximum flexibility and more efficient wavelength utilization to minimize stranded bandwidth within a wavelength. Sub-wavelength grooming using an electronic ROADM (eROADM) allows wavelengths to be packed for maximum network efficiency and utilization. Based on ITU G.709 OTN technology, the CN 4200 eROADM carves wavelengths into individual timeslots to allow sub-wavelength service aggregation and

Multi-degree ROADM and eROADM functionalities, which combine optical and electrical add/drop in a single CN 4200 to form a hybrid ROADM, deliver ultimate service flexibility. The hybrid ROADM allows multiple sub-wavelength services to be aggregated and

STM-1/OC-3

ESCON

Gigabit Ethernet

FC100

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Time Slot Interchanger Function

Client Signals
GbE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Gigabit Ethernet FC100

ESCON

GbE ESCON FC100

STM-1/OC-3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Unused

FC100 1 2 3 4 5 6

STM-1/OC-3

Mapped into ODU-1 Frame

Client Port Interfaces

Figure 5. eROADM functionality with OTN

ROADMs in Network Architectures

groomed onto a single wavelength for improved wavelength utilization, which decreases the number of wavelengths needed in the network. Using the CN 4200 ROADM, operators can drop any wavelength or sub-wavelength in the optical domain at any point without having to terminate every wavelength in the stream and drop any arbitrary service from that wavelength. Because the size and complexity of new data applications and services vary between different metro networks, hybrid ROADM functionality may not be required initially. Therefore, an optical transport solution must be able to provide all OTN functionality for flexible sub-wavelength grooming and leverage the system benefits of ROADM technology. These capacities allow growth of initial implementations in an optimized cost structure as network requirements evolve, and provide the ability to upgrade to hybrid ROADM technology.
Photonic Switch
All-Optical Express Frabric

Any amount of eROADM capability can be added to nodes incrementally to distribute capital expenditures over time and keep the network in service during upgrades. When eROADM is upgraded to hybrid ROADM, additional degrees can be added in-service to the hybrid. The ROADM is a critical tool for any transport network to build a highly flexible transport infrastructure, as shown in Figure 6. The advantages of ROADM technology can be summarized as follows:
Electrical ROADM technologies help address stranded bandwidth problems by delivering transparent sub-wavelength aggregation and grooming. An eROADM routes and re-routes services within high-speed optical trunks, uses OTN framing, and can be managed with a powerful, SONET-like OAM. Optical ROADM technologies solve stranded bandwidth problems within the DWDM layer. When used with OTN framing, ROADM manages waves with a powerful, SONET-like OAM. ROADM capabilities are useful for re-routing optical trunks and supporting dedicated, rate-agnostic services at 10 and 40 Gb/s. Additionally the CN 4200 ROADM is immune to speed

{
WDM Terminal
High speed Clients (Switch/Routers) 155M 10G Clients 10G 40G

2.5, 10, or 40 Gb/s LH or ULH Ring/Mesh

upgrades. The hybrid ROADM provides maximum flexibility and reconfiguration. With point-and-click ease, the hybrid ROADM can reroute optical trunks and services to deliver high-bandwidth services from any port to any port. Furthermore, the hybrid can provide wavelength conversion if blocking occurs due to fiber impairments. IN SUMMARY, Cienas approach to optical transport technologies

WDM Terminal

Integrated WDM Tunable Optics

Optical Grooming

Electrical Grooming

Figure 6. Integrated optical and electrical ROADM

permits network elements to be upgraded when requirements demand. This flexibility ensures significant cost savings in the overall
UPGRADES TO THE HYBRID ROADM

architecture solution without sacrificing network functionality. Ciena For maximum flexibility, the CN 4200 can be deployed in an electrical or hybrid ROADM configuration, depending on the traffic type. When network capacity is low, with only a few sub-wavelength services, the CN 4200 is a low-cost, flexible entry point for metro networks with an eROADM. As network capacities increase to require significant wavelength switching and routing, the CN 4200 can be upgraded to an optical multi-degree hybrid ROADM. has a proven reputation of providing best-value solutions that meet customer requirements, and developing timely, technically innovative optical solutions built for long-term value. These solutions provide investment protection, flexibility, and cost savings that solidify lasting business relationships and facilitate customer network adaptation to new requirements.

About Ciena: Ciena Corporation, the network specialist, supplies application-focused network systems, software and services to customers worldwide. The company leverages core competencies in optical networking, data networking and broadband access to solve its customers most critical networking challenges so they can best exploit the applications that are driving their businesses forward. For more information about Ciena, please call 1-800-207-3714 (US) or 1-410-865-8671 (outside US), or visit www.ciena.com Ciena may from time to time make changes to the products or specifications contained herein without notice. ESCON and FICON are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. 2007 Ciena Corporation. All rights reserved. WP051 11.2007