The developer of telecommunications equipment Ciena presented an optical signal processing system. It will increase the data transmission rate in the fiber up to 800 Gbps.
Under the cut - about the principles of its work.
A photo - β CC BY SA
Need more fiber
With the launch of new generation networks and the proliferation of IoT devices, by some estimates, their number 50 billion in three years - the volume of world traffic will only increase. Deloitte says that the existing fiber infrastructure, which is the basis for 5G networks, will not be enough with such a load. The point of view of the analytical agency is supported and cloud providers.
To rectify the situation, more and more organizations are working on systems that increase the throughput of "optics". One of the hardware solutions was developed by Ciena - it was called WaveLogic 5. According to the company's engineers, the new processor is capable of providing data transfer rates up to 800 Gb / s at a single wavelength.
How the new solution works
Ciena introduced two modifications of the WaveLogic 5 processor. The first one is called WaveLogic 5 Extreme. It is a diagram , which acts as a digital signal processor () fiber optic network. The DSP converts the signal from electrical to optical and vice versa.
WaveLogic 5 Extreme supports fiber bandwidth from 200 Gbps to 800 Gbps, depending on the distance you need to send the signal. For more efficient data transmission, Ciena implemented an algorithm for the probabilistic formation of a signal constellation ( - PCS).
This constellation is a set of amplitude values ββ(points) for transmitted signals. For each of the constellation points, the PCS algorithm calculates the probability of data distortion and the value of the energy required to send the signal. After that, he chooses the amplitude for which the signal-to-noise ratio and power consumption will be minimal.
The processor also uses a forward error correction algorithm () and frequency division multiplexing (). An encryption algorithm is used to protect the transmitted information. .
The second modification of WaveLogic 5 is a series of Nano plug-in optical modules. They can send and receive data at speeds up to 400 Gbps. The modules have two form factors - QSFP-DD and CFP2-DCO. The first is small and designed for 200 or 400GbE networks. Due to the high connection speed and low power consumption, QSFP-DD is suitable for data center solutions. The second form factor - CFP2-DCO - is used to send data over distances of hundreds of kilometers, so it will be used in 5G networks and ISP infrastructure.
WaveLogic 5 will go on sale in the second half of 2019.
A photo - βPD
Advantages and disadvantages of the processor
The WaveLogic 5 Extreme was one of the first processors on the market to transmit single wavelength data at 800Gbps. For many competitive solutions, this figure is 500-600 Gb / s. Ciena has the advantage of expanding the capacity of the optical channel by 50% and increasing its on 20%.
But there is one difficulty - with the compression of the signal and the increase in the data transfer rate, there is a risk of information distortion. It increases with increasing distance. For this reason, the processor difficulties in sending a signal over long distances. Although the developers say that WaveLogic 5 is capable of broadcasting data "across the oceans" at a speed of 400 Gb / s.
Analogues
Systems to increase fiber throughput are also being developed by Infinite and Acacia. The solution of the first company is called ICE6 (ICE - Infinite Capacity Engine). It consists of two components - an optical integrated circuit (PIC - Photonic Integrated Circuit) and a digital signal processor in the form of an ASIC chip. PIC in networks translates the signal from optical to electrical and vice versa, and ASIC is responsible for its multiplexing.
A feature of ICE6 is pulse modulation of the signal (). The digital processor splits the light of a certain wavelength into additional frequency subcarriers, which expands the number of available levels and increases the spectral density of the signal. It is expected that ICE6, like WaveLogic, will provide a data transfer rate in one channel at the level of 800 Gb / s. The product should go on sale by the end of 2019.
As for Acacia, its engineers created the AC1200 module. It will provide data transmission speed of 600 Gbps. This speed is achieved using 3D signal constellation: the algorithms in the module automatically change the frequency of use of points and their position in the constellation, adjusting the channel capacity.
It is expected that new hardware solutions will increase the throughput of optical fiber not only at distances within the same city or region, but also at more significant distances. To do this, engineers had to overcome the difficulties associated with channel noise. The increase in the capacity of submarine networks will positively affect the quality of services of IaaS providers and large IT companies, given that they "Β» half of the traffic carried on the ocean floor.
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Source: habr.com