SDH Transport Systems

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Overview
„ SDH Frame and Multiplex Structure
„ STM-1 Frame (Section Overhead, Pointers, Virtual Containers)
„ SDH Multiplex Hierarchy (STM-N, AU-3/4, VC-3/4, VC-1/2)
„ SDH Network Elements and Topologies
„ Terminal & Add/Drop Multiplexers, Digital Cross-Connects
„ Hub / Mesh / Ring Architectures
„ SDH Overhead Information
„ Multiplex / Regenerator Section Overhead (MSOH / RSOH)
„ Higher / Lower Order Path Overhead (VC-4/VC-3/VC-2/VC-1 POH)
„ SDH Management Functions
„ Anomalies, Defects, Failures and Alarms
„ Fault / Performance and Configuration Management
„ SDH Automatic Protection Switching (APS)
„ 1+1, 1:1 and 1:N Protection
„ Multiplex Section Protection, K1/K2 Bytes, Path Protection
„ SDH Timing and Synchronisation
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 3
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Frame
Frame and
and Multiplex
Multiplex Structure
Structure

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 4

 SDH Frame Structure
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Synchronous Transmission Module STM-1

1 9 10 270
1 RSOH Administrative Unit AU-4
2 Regenerator
Section J1
Virtual Container VC-4
3 Overhead with Path Overhead POH
B3
4 H1 H2 H3 261 columns
C2
5 Pointer
G1
6 MSOH F2
7 Multiplex Container C-4
Section H4
Overhead 260 columns
8
F3
9
K3
1 STM-1 frame =
N1
2430 octets in 125 µs
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 5

SDH Frame Structure

• A single SDH frame is called a Synchronous Transmission Module (STM-1).
Transmitted over a duration of 125 µs, the frame consists of 2430 octets organized
as 9 rows of 270 octets each. A single octet in an SDH frame represents a 64 kbps
channel (8 bits every 125 µs), several octets can be aggregated to form containers
for larger data rates.
SDH Section Overhead (SOH)
• A relatively large number of 72 octets in an STM-1 frame have been reserved for
various management and monitoring purposes. This so-called section overhead
(SOH) is further divided into a regenerator section overhead (RSOH) and multiplex
section overhead (MSOH).
Administrative Unit (AU-4) and Virtual Container (VC-4)
• The actual payload carried in an STM-1 frame is encapsulated in an administrative
unit (AU-4). The AU-4 consists of a VC-4 virtual container comprising 261 columns
plus a 9 octet wide AU-4 pointer that points to the first octet of the VC-4 payload
container.
AU-4 Pointer
• The SDH pointer mechanism is a very elegant way of multiplexing multiple data
containers without the need to align the containers to a common frame start.
Thus the frame buffers in SDH multiplexing equipment can be kept small and the
transmission delay due to buffering is minimized.
• The VC-4 container is allowed to float freely within the AU-4. The H1 and H2 pointer
bytes form a word with a range of 0 to 782 which indicates the offset, in three byte
increments, between the pointer and the first byte of the VC-4. If the offset has the
value 0 then the J1 byte of the VC-4 follows immediately after the H3 bytes of the
AU-4 pointer
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SDH Multiplexing Hierarchy - ETSI Branch Winterthur

STM-N AUG AU-4 VC-4 C-4

xN
140 Mbit/s
x3
STM-1 : 155 Mbit/s
STM-4 : 622 Mbit/s TUG-3 TU-3 VC-3 C-3
STM-16 : 2.5 Gbit/s
STM-64 : 10 Gbit/s 45 Mbit/s
STM-256 : 40 Gbit/s x7 34 Mbit/s

TUG-2 TU-12 VC-12 C-12

Basic Operations
x3
„ Mapping 2 Mbit/s
„ Stuffing
„ Aligning VC-11 C-11
„ Multiplexing 1.5 Mbit/s

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 6

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SDH Transport Systems Winterthur

Network
Network Elements
Elements and
and Topologies
Topologies

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 7

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SDH Network Elements Winterthur

„ Digital Cross-Connect (DCS / DXC)

„ used in meshed networks
„ mainly STM-N interfaces
„ large switching matrix (1024 STM-1)
„ Wideband DCS: VC-12 granularity
„ Broadband DCS: AU-4 granularity
„ Add/Drop Multiplexer (ADM)
„ used in rings
„ two STM-N line interfaces (East/West)
„ large number of tributary interfaces
STM-1, 140 / 34 / 2 Mbit/s
(equipped up to full ring capacity)
„ Terminal Multiplexer (TMX / PTE)
„ used as concentrator (hub)
„ STM-1/4 (redundant) line interface
„ mainly 2 Mbit/s tributary interfaces
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 8
STM-4 Add/Drop Multiplexer
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Block Diagram

VC-12
STM-4 Switching STM-4
matrix
Line West Line East

140 Mbit

34 Mbit
STM-1

Tributaries 2 Mbit

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 9

SDH Network Configurations
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Mesh / Ring / Hub Architectures

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 12

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SDH Transport Systems Winterthur

Overhead
Overhead Information
Information

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 15

SDH Overhead
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Hierarchical Layers

Path
Multiplex Section Multiplex Section
Regenerator Section Regenerator Section

PTE
PTE REG
REG ADM
ADM REG
REG PTE
PTE
RS RS
Path Termination MS Termination Path
Termination Termination Termination

PTE Path Terminating Element (Terminal Multiplexer)

REG Regenerator
ADM Add/Drop Multiplexer
RS Regenerator Section
MS Multiplex Section
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 16
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STM-1 Section Overhead (SOH) Winterthur

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 J0

2 B1 E1 F1 RSOH

3 D1 D2 D3

4 AU-4 Pointer

5 B2 B2 B2 K1 K2

6 D4 D5 D6

7 D7 D8 D9 MSOH

8 D10 D11 D12

9 S1 M1 E2

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 17

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RSOH - Regenerator Section Overhead Winterthur

A1..A2 Framing bytes - designate start of STM-1 frame

RS bit interleaved parity (BIP-8) - parity computed over

B1
previous frame

J0 RS trace - connection verification (E.164 number)

E1 RS orderwire – 64 kbit/s voice connection for operators

F1 RS user channel – 64 kbit/s user channel for operators

RS data communications channel (DCC) – 192 kbit/s

D1..D3
OAM channel (Operations, Administration and Maintenance)

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 18

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MSOH - Multiplex Section Overhead Winterthur

MS bit interleaved parity (BIP-24) - parity computed over

B2..B2
previous frame

E2 MS orderwire – 64 kbit/s voice connection for operators

MS data communications channel (DCC) – 576 kbit/s

D4..D12
OAM channel (Operations, Administration and Maintenance)

MS remote error indication (REI) – number of errored BIP-24

M1
blocks received at the remote end

Automatic protection switching (APS) – MS protection /

K1/K2
alarm indication signal (AIS) / remode defect indication (RDI)

Synchronisation status – Quality of STM-1 signal when used

S1
as synchronisation and timing source

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 19

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POH - Higher Order Path Overhead (VC-4/3) Winterthur

J1 Path trace - connection verification (E.164 number)

Path bit interleaved parity (BIP-8) - parity computed over
B3
previous container
C2 Path signal label – mapping type in VC-n

G1 Path status – monitoring of bidirectional path status

F2 Path user channel – 64 kbit/s user channel for operators

H4 Tributary unit multiframe indicator - start of multiframe

F3 Path user channel – 64 kbit/s user channel for operators

K3 Automatic Protection Switching (APS) – path protection

Network operator byte – higher order tandem connection
N1
overhead (TCOH)

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 20

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POH - Lower Order Path Overhead (VC-2/1) Winterthur

BIP-2 / Remote error indication (REI) / Remote failure

V5
indication (RFI) / signal label / remote defect indication
(RDI)

J3 Path trace – connection verification (E.164 number)

Network operator byte – lower order tandem connection

N2
overhead (TCOH)

K4 Automatic Protection Switching (APS) – path protection

The lower order POH is a single overhead octet per VC-2/1

organized as a multiframe of 4 frames.

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 21

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SDH Transport Systems Winterthur

Management
Management Functions
Functions

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 22

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SDH Anomalies, Defects, Failures and Alarms Winterthur

„ Anomalies
„ B1 / B2 / B3 bit interleaved parity (BIP) errors
„ Remote Error Indication (REI)
„ Defects
„ Persistent anomalies beyond a maximum time limit
„ Loss of Signal (LOS)
„ Loss of Frame Alignment (LOF)
„ Loss of Pointer (LOP)
„ Alarm Indication Signal (AIS), Remote Defect Indication (RDI)
„ Failures
„ Persistent defects beyond a maximum time limit
„ Alarms
„ Maintenance signals to alert downstream equipment that a
defect or equipment failure has been detected
„ Fault and Performance Monitoring
„ Anomalies, defects and failures are reported to OAM function
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 23
 SDH Defects
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Signalling in forward and backward directions

Lower Order Path (POH)
Higher Order Path (POH)
Multiplex Section (MSOH)
Regenerator Section (RSOH)

LOS LOS LOS LOP LOP

LOF LOF LOF

MS MS AU TU
AIS AIS AIS AIS

RDI RDI
(K2) (K2)
RDI RDI
(G1) (G1)
RDI RDI
(V5) (V5)

LO PTE HO PTE MS TE RS TE RS TE RS TE MS TE HO PTE LO PTE

Alarm Detection Alarm Transmission
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 24
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SDH Transport Systems Winterthur

Automatic
Automatic Protection
Protection Switching
Switching

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 25

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Protection Schemes Winterthur

„ 1+1 Protection

working channel

priority traffic

protection channel

„ 1:1 Protection (general case 1:N protection)

working channel

priority traffic

protection channel extra traffic

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 26

Bidirectional MS Shared Protection Ring
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Normal State
Node A Node B Node C
Fiber 1

Fiber 2
working
protection

Node F Node E Node D

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 27
Bidirectional MS Shared Protection Ring
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Failed State
Node A Node B Node C
Fiber 1

Fiber 2
MS Protection
Switching
within 50 ms

Node F Node E Node D

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 28
Special Case: Transoceanic Links
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Normal State
New York London Paris

Atlantic
Ocean
Channel

Boston Amsterdam Zurich

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 29
Special Case: Transoceanic Links
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Failed State
New York London Paris

Atlantic
Short Ocean
cuts Channel
three
ocean
crossings

single
crossing

Boston Amsterdam Zurich

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 30
Unidirectional MS Dedicated Protection Ring
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Normal State
Node A Node B Node C
Fiber 1

Fiber 2
working
protection

Node F Node E Node D

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 31
Unidirectional MS Dedicated Protection Ring
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Failed State
Node A Node B Node C
Fiber 1

Fiber 2
MS Protection
Switching
within 50 ms

Node F Node E Node D

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 32
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Path Protection Winterthur

working path

B C
VC-n path protection VC-n
multicast switching
within 30 ms
A D E

protection path

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 33

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Timing
Timing and
and Synchronisation
Synchronisation

A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 34

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Hierarchical Timing Distribution Winterthur

ITU-T G.811 S1 Byte

PRC Primary Reference Clock 0000 Quality unknown
Accuracy: 10-11 0010 G.811 PRC
≈300 µs/year 0100 G.812 transit
1000 G.812 local
1011 G.813 SETS
STM-16 1111 Do not use
Ring
2 Mbit/s

STM-4
Ring
STM-1
Ring
Any STM-N or 2.048 Mbit/s
signal can be used as a
timing source for SDH equipment
A. Steffen, 20.05.2002, KSy_SDH.ppt 35