Chapter 2

SDH Basics

Objective

Standards
Frame Structure
Multiplexing
Section Hierarchy
Regenerator Section Overhead
Multiplex Section Overhead
Path Overhead
Advantages

Basic data rate

CommonCharacteristics

E1andT1

Audiblefrequencyrange(fm)

0-3.4kHz4kHz

Samplingfrequency(fs)

2Xfm=8kHz

Numberofsamplespersignal

8000persecond

LengthofPCMframe

1/c=125s

Numberofbitsineachcodeword

Telephonechannelbitrate

cXe=8000/sX8bit=64kbps

Limitations of PDH
Inability to identify individual channels in a higher-order bit stream.
Multiplexing / Demultiplexing is cumbersome (Stage wise).
Insufficient capacity for network management as limited OAMP operation.
Theres no standardized definition of PDH bit rates greater than 140 Mbit/s.
There are different hierarchies in use around the world. Specialized interface
equipment is required to interwork the two hierarchies.

Standards
The hierarchy is as follows:
Optical Signal
STM-0
STM-1
STM- 4
STM-16
STM-64
STM-256

Bit Rate
51.84 Mbps
155.52 Mbps
622.080 Mbps
2488.320 Mbps
9953.280 Mbps
39813.12 Mbps

Abbreviated as
51 Mbps
155 Mbps
622 Mbps
2.4 Gbps
10 Gbps
40 Gbps

STM-1 Frame Format

Frame=125s

Frame=125s

Frame=125s

STM-1=270Columns(2430bytes)
1
2
3

Pointers

Regenerato
Sectio
Overhea
H1 H2 H

H1H1 H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 H3

5
6
7

Multiple
Sectio
Overhea

8
9

Overheadwidth=9columns

STM-1 Frame Format

Administrative
Unit
Capacityof
the
Virtual
Container
+
Pointer
s

9
Rows

STM-N Frame Format

Frame = 125s
Frame Format
STM - Section overhead and Administrative unit
Section overhead Regenerator section overhead and Multiplex section overhead
Administrative unit Virtual container and pointers
Virtual container - Payload and Path overhead information

STM-N

Section
Overhead

Regenerator
Overhead

Administrative
unit

Multiplex
overhead

Pointer

Path
Overhead

Virtual
Container

Payload

Mapping Elements

Container
Virtual Container
Tributary Unit
Tributary Unit Group
Administrative Unit
Administrative Unit Group
STM-N Frame

SDH Multiplexing

Container

Input signals are placed into the containers

It adds stuffing bytes for PDH signals,which compensates for the permitted
frequency deviation between the SDH system and the PDH signal

C12 (2 Mbps G.703)

C11 (1.5 Mbps)
C2 (6 Mbps)
C3 (34 / 45 Mbps)
C4 (140 Mbps

Virtual Container
MAPPING : It is a process from Containers to Virtual containers.

POH

PAYLOAD

POH

PAYLOAD

ANALOGY:

Packing C2 carton box with some more packing material and labeled as VC2 box
It adds overheads to a container or groups of tributary units, that provides
facilities for supervision and maintenance of the end to end paths
VCs carry information end to end between two path access points through the
SDH system
VCs are designed for transport and switching sub-SDH payloads

VC12 (C12 + POH)

VC11 (C11 + POH)
VC2 (C2 + POH)
VC3 (C3 + POH)
VC4 (C4 + POH)

At each level, subdivisions of capacity can float individually between the payload
areas of adjacent frames. Each subdivision can be readily located by its own
pointer that is embedded in the overheads.
The pointer is used to find the floating part of the AU or TU, which is called a
virtual container (VC).
The AU pointer locates a higher-order VC, and the TU pointer locates a lowerorder VC. For example, an AU3 contains a VC3 plus a pointer, and a TU2
contains a VC2 plus a pointer.
A VC is the payload entity that travels across the network, being created and
dismantled at or near the service termination point.

Tributary Unit

It adds pointers to the VCs

This pointer permits the SDH system to compensate for phase differences within
the SDH network and also for the frequency deviations between the SDH
networks
TUs acts as a bridge between the lower order path layer and higher order path
layer

TU12 (VC12 + pointer)

TU2 (VC2 + pointer)
TU3 (VC3 + pointer)

Tributary Unit Group

It defines a group of tributary units that are multiplexed together

As a result, a TU group could contain one of the following combinations

Three TU-12s (TUG 2)

Seven TUG-2s (TUG 3)

Administrative Unit
It adds pointer to the HO Virtual containers(similar to the tributary unit)

AU - 3 (VC-3 + pointer)
AU - 4 (VC-4 + pointer)

Administrative Unit Group

It defines a group of administrative units that are multiplexed together to form

higher order STM signal

Synchronous Transport Module n

It adds section overhead (RSOH & MSOH) to a number of AUGs that adds
facilities for supervision & maintenance of the multiplexer & regenerator sections
This is the signal that is transmitted on the SDH line
The digit n defines the order of the STM signal

SDH Multiplexing

4
columns
1 2 3 4

1 2 3

Stuffing and
POH

TU 12
9X4
9 rows

TUG-2
9 X 12

TUG-3
9 X 84
Section Over
Head

P
O
H

P
O
H

P
O
H

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TUG - 3

TUG - 3

(9 X 9)

TUG - 3

9 X 261

Mapping of 2Mbps into STM N

2.048 Mbps
(E1)

32

1 2 3
32 Bytes

Stuffing Bytes
C-12

1 23

32
34 Bytes

POH (LowerOrder)
VC-12

1 23

32
35
Bytes

Pointer
TU-12
36 Bytes

TU 12 is arranged
Into Matrix of 9 X 4

9 Rows

4 Columns

TU-12

TU-12

TU-12

9 Rows

4 Columns

4 Columns

4 Columns

Multiplexing

TUG-2

9 Rows

12 Columns