gp- you're welcome, although I've just re-read my reply to you and anyone can tell that I was in a rush (I was) when I posted it.
Instead of my re-stating what "I" wrote earlier, let me put you on to a return path optimization paper by Harmonic (HLIT) who, among a respectable number of others, uses segmentation and organization of many smaller user groups on the return path (as opposed to grouping all users in a serving area on a single segment) as a means of relieving congestion.
From their web site:
harmonicinc.com
An excerpt follows. For a fuller understanding of what this vendor is doing, however, I'd suggest reading the entire paper. Enjoy.
FAC
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"The fiber portion of a typical Hybrid Fiber/Coaxial (HFC) cable network is in a star topology - there
is a direct connection with multiple fiber from either the head end or a hub to each optical node. The
coaxial plant following the optical node is a tree and branch topology. It is difficult, if not
impossible, to segment a tree and branch network, while it is relatively easy to segment a star
network.
"Therefore, the optical node is the deepest point in the network at which segmentation can be
achieved relatively easily. Furthermore, nodes with multiple ports can be segmented by isolating the
ports. This allows placing unique information on each port, segmenting the network even further.
"This segmentation creates a network with many dedicated return links. Finding an efficient and
cost-effective architecture to transmit the information on the multitude of return links presents a
challenge. There are several technologies which can be applied to create many possible network
architectures. This paper will explore four technologies as they are used to create ten network
architectures." |
