Shared Standby OLT Backup for Optical Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical communication networks, particularly ultra-dense WDM PONs, face challenges in providing efficient geographical redundancy to protect against node and site failures without incurring high costs and complexity, especially when serving a large number of subscribers.
Innovation Solution
A method that activates a backup service using a shared standby OLT, which can provide a limited service by tuning receivers to a reserved wavelength, allowing for reduced bandwidth and service limitations, and dynamically adjusts based on available resources and quality of service, without requiring fiber switches or full duplication of OLT equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a second fiber back-haul to a backup site is deployed for each PON, then protection against complete office failure is achieved, but OLT equipment duplication costs increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple PONs share a common backup OLT located at a different geographical site. Instead of each PON having its own dedicated backup OLT, the backup OLT serves multiple PONs simultaneously, consolidating redundant resources and reducing overall equipment duplication costs while maintaining protection against complete office failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup OLT is designed to serve multiple PONs universally rather than being dedicated to a single PON. This multi-functional backup OLT can take over service for any of the PONs it protects, eliminating the need for separate dedicated backup equipment for each PON and reducing total OLT equipment requirements.
2Reliability
If existing protection mechanisms duplicate interfaces and switching signals to alternative paths, then link failure protection is provided, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of duplicating physical interfaces and switching equipment at each PON location, the system creates a virtual copy of the OLT functionality at a remote backup site. The backup OLT maintains a copy of the necessary service functionality and can assume control when the primary OLT fails, eliminating the need for complex local interface duplication.
3Reliability
If protection mechanisms require full service takeover by alternative nodes, then node failure protection is achieved, but physical connectivity requirements to all nodes increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The backup OLT is extracted from the primary OLT location and placed at a separate geographical site. This separation allows the backup functionality to be physically removed from the primary node, reducing the need for complex inter-node connectivity while maintaining the ability to take over service in case of primary node failure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the need for redundant OLT resources and fiber switches, providing essential services like telephony and basic data access during failures while minimizing costs and complexity, ensuring continuous service with reduced bandwidth without interrupting parallel fiber connections.
Implementation Method 1
The invention relates to the field of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks, in particular next-generation optical access (NGOA) ultra-dense WDM (UDWDM) access networks
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and a device for processing data in an optical communication network are provided, wherein a main service is provided via a shared medium; and wherein at least one separate resource of the shared medium is reserved for a backup service. In addition, a communication system comprising at least one such device is suggested.