Paper
1 November 1993 MultiGbit/s optical LAN utilizing a passive WDM star: toward an experimental prototype
Charles F. Barry, Michael James Hickey, Ciro A. Noronha Jr., Nina L. Taranenko, Leonid G. Kazovsky
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
STARNET is an optical broadband local area network based on a physical passive star topology intended for backbone applications. Over a single physical network, STARNET offers all users both a moderate-speed packet switched subnetwork and a reconfigurable high- speed (up to 2.5 Gbps) Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) circuit switched subnetwork. Based on these two data transport facilities, several topological and protocol solutions are available to the users. As a result, STARNET supports traffic of widely different speed and continuity characteristics. This paper describes an ongoing experimental effort aimed at the realization of a STARNET prototype network at the Optical Communication Research Laboratory of Stanford University. The prototype nodes are FDDI data rate and format compatible in the packet switched subnetwork and currently use 8B/10B encoded data at a rate of 1.25 Gbps in the circuit switched subnetwork. The STARNET network serves high performance workstations running distributed multimedia applications, including video- conferencing. In this paper, the electronic hardware which interfaces the workstation to the STARNET optics is described. The moderate-speed interface uses an off-the-shelf FDDI-on- copper module to interface to the STARNET optics; a custom high-speed interface module provides fast packet switching (electronic) over the circuit switched (wavelength) subnetwork.
© (1993) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Charles F. Barry, Michael James Hickey, Ciro A. Noronha Jr., Nina L. Taranenko, and Leonid G. Kazovsky "MultiGbit/s optical LAN utilizing a passive WDM star: toward an experimental prototype", Proc. SPIE 2024, Multigigabit Fiber Communication Systems, (1 November 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.161321
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Interfaces

Prototyping

Local area networks

Stars

Wavelength division multiplexing

Circuit switching

Field programmable gate arrays

RELATED CONTENT


Back to Top