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Author: Admin | 2025-04-27
Carrier Ethernet can scale to hundreds of sub networks, still very respectable and not a barrier for Mines (compared to telecom carriers that service more nodes). Carrier Ethernet is the preferred technology by telecom carriers to connect data centers and other mission critical network nodes. Carrier Ethernet offers lower latency compared to IP/MPLS. It is a Layer 2 solution. Carrier Ethernet is an all Ethernet structure so it can connect end to end with Ethernet, it is better than IP/MPLS in this regard which needs to convert between IP/MPLS and Ethernet at the network edges.What other types of networks might we see in a Mine that we should be considered for retirement? Legacy optical networks include:Optical Transport Networks (OTN)Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM)Gigabit Ethernet (GigE)Optical Transport NetworkOTN (optical transport network) is an ITU standard for wrapping a variety of signal formats like SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, and Fiber Channel. It is used to wrap these different signalling formats into a common Layer 1 optical foundation to improve the functionality of transport, multiplexing, switching, management, supervision and survivability of optical channels carrying IT / OT signals. It is used with WDM (wave division multiplexing) and applies each signal to its own wavelength. Rather than using a form of encapsulation into a common carrier format like Carrier Ethernet or IP/MPLS, OTN permits the discrete signal formats to be individually mapped to the OTN structure and are carried in parallel.While OTN is cost effective, it is limited in flexibility and usability for Mining needs. OTN varies its latency depending upon the source signal being wrapped and therefore different signal types will flow over the same optical pathway in different time duration.Panda Mine – South AfricaWave Division MultiplexingWave Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a means to carry multiple wavelengths or frequencies of light simultaneously over a single strand of optical fibre. WDM is able to provision bidirectional communications over the same strand of glass. The first systems used just two wavelengths of light but it is possible to multiplex up to 160 frequencies today, although lower number of frequencies is more common today such as 16 or 24 wavelengths. Two flavours of WDM are used, Course Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) and Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM). Other variants of these two types are seen, but these two are the most popular. In the Mining world, we normally just use DWDM. This approach uses the 1550 manometer (nm) band. Therefore, the glass used must have this wavelength window available. Normally, glass is purchased with three windows for the greatest flexibility, 850 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm. Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) is the main termination device used at fibre nodes to deliver or add traffic to the network. ROADM devices operate on WDM networks and can selectively manage individual wavelengths. When the optical fibre network is configured as a mesh architecture, then Optical Cross Connects (OXC) matrices are used to map the fibres to each other. For long distance transports of signals, IP/MPLS and Carrier Ethernet ride
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