NTT protocol boosts SONET/SDH for Internet, LANs
broadband-guide.com
News, May 1998
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) has another challenger
compatible with Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous
Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH) transmission, thanks to Nippon
Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT-Tokyo). The Japanese
telecommunications giant has announced a new protocol suite,
called "multiple access protocol over SONET/SDH" (MAPOS),
which provides frame-based transfer and multiple access
capabilities over SONET/SDH networks. The protocol could also
be used in local area network (LAN) applications, according to
the company.
NTT claims the new protocol uses bandwidth more efficiently than
ATM and is more scalable than Gigabit Ethernet. The former
claims rest on the protocol's small overhead requirements, the fact
that it does not have to conform to ATM's 53-byte cells with
5-byte headers, and its maximum frame size of 64-bytes. The
scalability claim is based on the current SONET/SDH hierarchy,
which extends beyond the speeds currently envisioned for Gigabit
Ethernet.
The company also says that MAPOS differs from ATM in that it
does not require special patches to accommodate Internet
protocol transmission.
The focal point of a MAPIS-based network is a frame switch
developed by NTT. The switch can be used as a hub of a wide
area or Internet network, or connected directly with an end-user's
workstation. This latter capability opens the door to the use of
SONET/SDH for LAN applications over either fiber or copper,
according to NTT.
NTT is leasing the technology to interested parties. The first
customer is Central Systems Research (CSR). The Tokyo-based
company plans to unveil the coreswitch-80 MAPOS frame switch
and three network interface cards, with an eye toward the Internet
exchange, Internet service provider, and large corporate network
markets. The products should be available next month.
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