SDH Over View

N. MARY, SDE (Tx)

RTTC, HYDERABAD
 Limitation of PDH

Insufficient capacity
PDH network is three different standards
There is no standardized definition of PDH bit rates
greater than 140 Mb/s
Rural interconnect
Semi-synchronous Systems
Linear applications (point to point)
No centralized network management system
 SDH Concepts And Principle

 It is an international standard networking principle

and a multiplexing method.

 The name of hierarchy has been taken from the

multiplexing method which is synchronous by nature.

 The evolution of this system will assist in improving

the economy of operability and reliability of a digital

network
 The SDH hierarchy is as follows:

Optical Signal Bit Rate Abbreviated as

STM-1 155.52 Mbps 155 Mbps

STM- 4 622.080 Mbps 622 Mbps

STM-16 2488.320 Mbps 2.5 Gbps

STM-64 9953.280 Mbps 10 Gbps

STM-256 39813.12 Mbps 40 Gbps

 Merits of SDH

Simplified multiplexing/demultiplexing techniques.

Direct access to lower speed tributaries, without need to
multiplex/de-multiplex the entire high speed signal.
Enhanced operations, Administration, Maintenance and
provisioning capabilities.
Easy growth to higher bit rates in step with evolution transmission
technology.
Capable of transporting existing PDH signals.
Capable of transporting future broadband(ATM) channel bit rates.
Capable of operating in a multi-vendor and multi-operator
environment
 Principles of SDH
SDH defines a number of “Containers”, each
corresponding to an existing plesiochronous rate.
Each container has a “Path Overhead” added to it
POH provides network management capability.
Container plus POH form a “Virtual Container”.
All equipment is synchronised to a national clock.
Delays associated with a transmission link may vary
slightly with time–causing location of VC within the
STM–1 frame to move.
Variations accommodated by use of a Pointer
Points to beginning of VC.
Pointer may be incremented or decremented
 Principles of SDH
G.709 defines different combinations of VCs which can
be accommodated in the “payload” of an STM–1 frame.
When STM–1 payload is full, more network management
capability is added to form the “Section Overhead”.
SOH bytes provide communication channels to cater for
OA&M facilities.
User channels.
Protection switching.
Section performance
Frame alignment
Other functions
 MULTIPLEXING STRUCTURE

C4
STMn AUG AU4 VC4 139.264

x3
C3
TUG3 TU3 VC3 34.368
x7
TUG2

x3
C12
TU12 VC12 2.048
 Basic Definitions

Synchronous Transport Module

This is the information structure used to support

information pay load and over head information field
organized in a block frame structure which repeats every
125 micro seconds.

Container

The first entry point of the PDH signal is the container in

which the signal is prepared so that it can enter into the
next stage, i.e. Virtual container
 Basic Definitions Contd…

Virtual Container

In Virtual container the path over head (POH) fields are

organized in a block frame structure either 125 µ
seconds

The POH information consists of only 1 byte in VC-1

for 125 m seconds frame. In VC-3, POH is 1 column of
9 bytes. In VC-4 also POH 1 column of 9 bytes.

The types of virtual container identified are lower

orders VCs VC-1 and VC-2 and higher order VC-3 and
 Basic Definitions Contd…
Tributary Unit
A tributary unit is a information structure which provides
adaptation between the lower order path layer and the
higher order path layer.
It consists of a information pay load (lower order virtual
container) and a tributary unit pointer which indicates the
offset of the pay load frame start relating to the higher
order VC frame start.
Tributary unit 1 for VC-1 and Tributary unit 2 is for VC-2
and Tributary unit 3 is for VC-3, when it is mapped for VC-
4 through tributary group-3.
TU-3 pointer consists of 3 bytes out of 9 bytes. Three
bytes are H1, H2, H3 and remaining bytes are fixed bytes.
TU-1 pointers are one byte interleaved in the TUG-2.
 Basic Definitions Contd…
Tributary Unit Group
One or more tributaries are contained in tributary unit
group. A TUG-2 consist of homogenous assembly of
identical TU-1s or TU-2. TUG-3 consists of a homogenous
assembly of TUG-2s or TU-3. TUG-2 consists of 3 TU-12s
(2.048 Mb/sec). TUG-3 consists of either 7 TUG-2 or one
TU-3.
Network Node Interface (NNI)
The interface at a network node which is used to
interconnect with another network node.
Pointer
An indicator whose value defines frame offset of a VC with
respect to the frame reference of transport entity, on which
 Basic Definitions Contd…
Administrative Unit
It is the information structure which provides adaptation
between the higher order path layer and the multiplex
section layer.
It consists of information pay load and a A.U. pointer which
indicates the offset of the pay load frame start relating to
the multiplex section frame start.
Two AUs are defined (i) AU-4 consisting VC-4 plus an A.U.
pointer indicating phase alignment of VC-4 with respect to
STM-N frame, (ii) AU-3 consisting of VC-3 plus A.U. pointer
indicating phase alignment of VC-3 with respect to STM-N
frame. A.U. pointer location is fixed with respect to STM-N
frame.
 Basic Definitions Contd…

Administrative Group

AUG consists of a homogenous assembly of AU-3s or an

AU-4.

Concatenation

The procedure with which the multiple virtual container

are associated with one another, with the result their
combined capacity could be used as a single container
across which bit sequence integrity is maintained.
 Frame Format

 STM - Section overhead and

STM-N

Administrative unit
Section
 Section overhead – Regenerator Overhead
Administrative
unit
section overhead and Multiplex
section overhead Virtual
Regenerator Multiplex Pointer
Container
Overhead overhead
 Administrative unit – Virtual
container Path Payload
overhead
and pointers

 Virtual container - Payload and

Path overhead information

 1 Byte=8bits * 8000
frames/sec=64 Kbps
SDH Network Layers
SDH Frame Format
SDH Frame Format
 STM-1 Frame

270 Columns
RSOH
A U Pointer P
9Rows O Container
MSOH H
SDH Multiplexing
4 columns
TU – 12
9X4

1 2 3 4 9 rows

TUG-2
Stuffing and 1 2 3
9 X 12
POH
TUG-3
9 X 84

Section Over P P P
Head O O O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
H H H
TUG - 3 TUG - 3 TUG - 3

(9 X 9) 9 X 261
Section Overhead Brief Description
Regenerator Section Overhead - RSOH

A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 J0

B1 E1 F1
Regenerator
Section D1 D2 D3
Multiplex Section Overhead - MSOH

B2 B2 B2 K1 K2

D4 D5 D6
Multiplex
Section D7 D8 D9

D10 D11 D12

S1 M1 E2
 Section Over Head bytes
The purpose of individual bytes is detailed below.
• A1,A2 Frame Alignment.
• B1,B2 Parity bytes for errors monitoring.
• D1…D3 Data communication channel (DCC) network
management.
• D4…D12 Data communication channel (DCC) network
management.
• E1,E2 Order wire channel.
• F1 Maintenance
• J0 Trace identifier
• K1,K2 Automatic protection switching (APS) channel.
• M1 Transmission error acknowledgement.
• S1 Clock quality indicator.
• * Media dependent bytes.
Path Over Head Bytes
J – PATH TRACE BYTE
B3 – BIT INTERLEAVED PARITY CODE (BIP–8)
C2 – PATH SIG. LABEL BYTE
G1 – PATH STATUS BYTE OR REMOTE STN.
F2 – E.O.W. BETWEEN PATH
H4 – MULTIFRAME ALIGNMENT BYTE OR
DENOTE STARTING POSITION OF ATM CELL
Z – FUTURE USE
K3 – APS FOR PROTN. SWG. (b1 …. b4) SPARE
(b5 …. b8) TO INCREASE N/W CAPABILITY
N1 – TANDOM CONN. MON AND PATH DATA BYTE
 Network Elements in SDH
Terminal Multiplexers
Terminal multiplexers are used to combine plesiochronous
and synchronous input signals into higher bit rate STM–N
signals
On the tributary side, all current plesiochronous bit rates
can be accommodated. On the aggregate, or line side we
have higher bit rate STM–N signals.
 Possible number of tributary inputs

Number of input Tributaries

2 Mbit/s 34 Mbit/s 140Mbit/s Out put
- - 1 STM-1
- 3 - STM-1
21 2 - STM-1
42 1 - STM-1
63 - - STM-1
 Add Drop Multiplexer
Plesiochronous and lower bit rate synchronous signals can
be extracted from or inserted into high speed SDH bit
streams by means of ADMs.

This feature makes it possible to set up ring structures,

which have the advantage that automatic back–up path
switching is possible using elements in the ring in the event
of a fault
 Digital Cross–Connects (DXC)
Cross connection is a synchronous network involves setting
up semi–permanent interconnections between different
channels enabling routing to be performed down to a VC
level.
This network element can have widest range of functions
such as mapping of PDH tributary signals into virtual
containers and switching of various containers up to and
including VC–4.
 Regenerators

Regenerators, as the name implies, have the job of

regenerating the clock and amplitude of the incoming data
signals that have been attenuated and distorted by
dispersion.

They derive their clock signals from the incoming data

stream. Messages are received by extracting various 64
kbit/s channels
 NETWORK TOPOLOGIES IN SDH

The various network topologies in SDH are as follows:

• Point-to-point link
• Bus Topology
• Ring Topology
• Hub Topology
• Star Topology
• Mesh Topology
• Mesh and Ring Topology
Network Topologies and NE Configurations
Thank You