Cabletron Systems CSX400, CSX200 SONET Port Configuration, SONET/SDH Configuration, 4-74, Bridging

Bridging

SONET Port Configuration

The FE100-Sx series of Fast Ethernet Port Interface Modules and the APIM-2x series of ATM Port Interface Modules provide SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) access for some of CabletronÕs devices.

The FE100-Sx Port Interface Modules and the APIM-2x Port Interface Modules link high-speed local or metropolitan area networks by using an OC-3 connection (leased from your local telco or Internet service provider) to a SONET ring.

If your device is equipped with an FE100-Sx or an APIM-2x port interface module, you can use the SONET/SDH ConÞguration window to set its operating parameters, and the SONET/SDH Statistics window to view performance information for the interface (which can tell you if your telco/service provider is meeting any guarantees regarding network reliability).

SONET/SDH Configuration

The SONET/SDH ConÞguration window lets you determine whether your FE-100Sx or APIM-2x port interface module will operate according to SONET or SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) standards.

SONET is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard for the optical transport of data according to the transmission standards in effect in North America (United States/Canada), Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. ANSI sets industry standards in the U.S. for the telecommunications industry, among other industries.

The basic SONET building block signal (transmitted at 51.84 Mbps) is referred to as STS-1 (Synchronous Transport Signal Level 1). SONET can multiplex (or combine) STS-1 signals into STS-N signals, where N is some integer multiple of STS-1 signals.

The ITU, or International Telecommunications Union (formerly known as the CCITTÑthe Consultative Committee on International Telegraph and Telephone) incorporated the SONET standard into its Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) recommendations, which address differences between the European and North American transmission standards. The ITU sets standards for international communications (except for nations adhering to ANSI standards). SDH is a world standard, and as such, the SONET standard is considered a subset within it.

The SDH transmission hierarchy uses the STM-1 (Synchronous Transfer Module Level 1) as its basic building block signal (transmitted at 155.52 Mbps). Again, there are STM-N signals, which are STM-1 signals that have been multiplexed into a higher signaling rate.

4-74 SONET Port Configuration