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Ethernet & SONET: A Marriage Made Heaven
Information Gatekeepers Inc, Jan 2003
Ethernet-based technologies have dominated the market for support of multiple data services with various rates and types of networks (Enterprise, MAN, Core), and Ethernet has become a de-facto data transmission standard. The installed base of Ethernet networks is larger than any other alternative technology deployment, largely due to simplicity of the Ethernet standards and the cost-efficiency of equipment.
Although attractive for a variety of reasons, the features of traditional Ethernet and its derivatives are not always in line with current users’ requirements:
- Manageability
Native Ethernet OA&M (Operation, Administration and Maintenance) capabilities are limited.
- Restoration
Even with the latest improvements, the restoration time of native Ethernet networks tends towards seconds instead of required milliseconds.
- Distance limitations
This situation led to development various flavors of Ethernet standards, and most importantly, adaptation of SONET/SDH and other transport techniques as carriers for Ethernet frames. The goal to using these carriers for Ethernet transport is to mitigate Ethernet shortcomings by bringing its features closer to those of carrier-grade technologies.
The telecommunications industry is experiencing a quantum leap in transport technologies, preparing it to move from SONET/SDH infrastructure to all optical networks. There were opinions in the industry that SONET/SDH technology may not survive such an evolution. The industry trends show that Ethernet is being deployed at growing rate, but SONET/SDH research deserves more attention. This situation produced a number of questions; such as whether Ethernet development can now influence further SONET/SDH industry progress, or alternative ways to transport Ethernet frames will result in even more erosion on SONET/SDH.
The proliferation of transport networks based on SONET makes it logical to assess possible Ethernet-SONET symbiosis: Ethernet for data transmission and SONET as an Ethernet carrier. This Report analyzes technical and marketing aspects of the dependency between these two drivers within the telecommunications industry.
Included is an analysis of the industry’s position on the relationship between Ethernet and SONET/SDH, feedback nature of their development, as well as the role of the alternative solutions in Ethernet transport. A multitude of factors influence Ethernet – SONET/SDH relationship, many of which are addressed in this Report.
Emphasized are technological development issues in the relationship between Ethernet and SONET, as well as other transport technologies. Market forecasting will be addressed in an upcoming issue.
The primary conclusion is that SONET-based transport methods are developing together with alternative ways to transport Ethernet signals. At the present time, SONET is leading the market for Ethernet transport. The feedback nature of SONET – Ethernet relationship exists as an industry trend, i.e., Ethernet proliferation calls for further SONET R&D and implementation. Ethernet has become a driver to develop and implement SONET features that make this technology adaptive to not only to voice but to data transmission as well.
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