Ethernet White Papers

Building 10 Gigabit /DWDM Metro Area Networks

• Tags:
• ethernet,
• ethernet,
• providers,
• service providers

Overview The need to expand metropolitan network capacity to accommodate high-speed wide area networks is well recognized but finding innovative, cost-effective solutions has not been easy. Many metropolitan network service providers have been deploying SONET and Wave Division Multiplexing across existing fiber despite the difficulties in supporting existing customer networks, particularly Ethernet. A new solution is emerging - 10 Gb/s Ethernet over DWDM fiber - that offers the advantages of speed, flexibility, scalability, and technical simplicity. Extensions to existing Ethernet standards have proven to be both feasible to develop and practical to implement. The 10 Gb/s Ethernet standard, currently being developed by the IEEE with the assistance of the 10GEA Committee, will be completed in early 2002 and then used for open systems deployment. In the meantime, proprietary pre-standard products can provide interim support for Ethernet networks in campus and metro environments. Interfaces are being provided for a variety of transmission media, including both single mode and WDM fiber. As Riverstone Networks and the Industry begin supplying 10 Gb/s Ethernet products, certain questions still remain. For example, how will 10 Gb/s Ethernet compare to the existing versions of Ethernet? What functions, features and frame structure will apply? What services can be expected from service providers? This white paper examines the driving forces for 10 Gb/s Ethernet standardization, looks at the specific opportunities for metropolitan network service providers, and shows how 10 Gb/s Ethernet can fit into a broadband network infrastructure. The ongoing efforts in the standardization of 10 Gb/s Ethernet will be highlighted.

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