Hybrid Network as a Service Proposal and Implementation Jun-ichi Mizusawa, Naofumi Kitsunezaki Aoyama Gakuin University 5-10-1, Fuchinobe, Sagamiharashi, 252-5258 Japan
[email protected]
Abstract— With the invention of the optical fiber and the IP technology revolution, many networking centered services have been proposed in terms of the “Cloud”. The paper proposes a Hybrid Network service, that is: a combination of a dark fiber network (non-IP) and an IP network. Two types of three dimensional (3D) test-bed operation and a practical introduction of 2D high-definition video (HDV) distribution are described. Keywords- hybrid network; cloud service; dark fiber; web; HaaS
I.
INTRODUCTION
Wikipedia states that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, and he publicly exhibited it on May 4, 1877, in the Boston Music Hall. His colleague Mr. Watson was five miles away in Somerville and his voice, singing “America”, was transmitted over copper wire. It was the beginning of networking between two locations. Nowadays the Internet connects worldwide. Optical fiber transmits a large volume of traffic. Still fiber optic capabilities of transmitting tens of gigabits per second and its transmission capability for any types of modulation are not fully available for public use. This paper proposes a new networking service named HaaS that allows many trials to design high speed network services adopting dark fibers by applying “Cloud” concepts and technology. II.
At this point the paper has a simple question. “Can the Cloud service at present really provide any networking service?” The answer is “no”, because no simple “dark fiber” service that transmits non-IP traffic is popularly available. One example this paper provides is HDV real time transmission. A dark fiber is an installed fiber (ready to use) without any optical signal. Probably there are a lot of dark fibers in advanced countries; they are waiting to have a light signal under city main streets, together with power lines on an iron grid tower, or within side cable boxes buried beside railway tracks. The paper proposes a new type of Cloud service that follows 4). 5) Network hybrid service: A Cloud service that provides a customer-oriented dark fiber links network. III.
The proposed dark fiber network service is named Hybrid Network as a Service (HaaS) in the paper. It is defined as a customer tailored network, i.e., a customer designs his network putting together the following items. •
A dark fiber: to connect terminals within fiber transmitting distance (more than 10km) locations.
•
A terminal: may be a customer’s original terminal or a commercialized off-the-shelf device. The terminal is designed for a new networking service that is rather difficult in terms of speed or modulation to connect directly to an IP network. The HDMI interface of a digital camera is one example.
•
An adaptor: newly designed: a kind of set-top box that performs electric/optical conversion and necessary modulation for an optical signal transmission over fiber optics. The adaptor also has an internet connection which sends and receives and links control commands such as Laser Diode (LD) and Photo Diode (PD) on/off. This IP interface is to communicate with the HaaS server.
•
A fiber circuit box: provides fiber switching circuit, splitter/coupler circuit, optical signal amplification circuit and an optical signal level adjustment function. It allows a patch fiber wire connection to set up a variety of fiber links network topology.
•
A HaaS server: provides a customer’s service control interface through an Internet web browser. The owner
LONG TERM VIEW OF NETWORK SERVICE EVOLUTION
Network services continue to evolve. Using an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, this evolution is supported by physical and link layer technologies such as optical fiber and high speed radio technologies. With the increased availability of network layer and fiber optic high speed access services, so called “Cloud Services” are coming popular in all business fields. The evolutionary steps in network services can be explained historically in the following sequence: 1) Simple Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS): An end to end one link connection service. 2) Time sharing service: A center host controls many simple data terminals. 3) Server client model service: A client PC terminal performs a job and accesses a server when necessary. 4) Cloud services: A simple browser terminal accesses a Cloud server that provides any type of services. 978-963-8111-77-7
DARK FIBER LINKS NETWORK DESIGN
has an administrator’s privilege. The service also allows him to provide his HaaS service to other internet users. The pros and cons in realizing customer oriented services in the proposed HaaS are as follows: •
An optical fiber transmission assures very low bit error rate, such as 10-12, because it is not affected by the surrounding electromagnetic field.
•
A fiber transmission does not produce any electromagnetic emissions to the surrounding environment, so it does not interfere with devices nearby.
•
•
An optical fiber signal transmission has low loss character, so it can transmit over 10km easily without optical signal amplification. Copies of an optical signal are easy to create, i.e., via a splitter. This means the network is adequate for broadcasting. But the splits are limited to 16 or 32 depending on LD (Laser Diode) and PD (Photo Diode) design. In case more splitting is required an amplification function such as SOA (Semiconductor Optical Amp.) is required.
•
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) signals can be simply combined by a coupler and transmitted over one fiber. This characteristic makes it easy to increase transmission capacity. Together with a splitter, a high speed broadcast network could be designed rather easily.
•
Optical signal switching technology so called “Burst/packet switching” is ideal, but the technology is not yet sufficiently advanced so adoption is difficult at present. The proposed HaaS is very simple and anyone can try it. This will surely greatly encourage the further advancement of networking services.
two networks via the HaaS server. The HaaS server works as an access port from a customer’s control terminal. The server acts as a dark fiber links network control between the control terminal and adaptors located at a terminal. It also has web service pages for anonymous users. The lower part of Fig.1 shows the network components that make up a customer designed dark fiber links network. A customer’s terminal has an interface that sends and receives high speed information through an adaptor. The adaptor converts the information to an optical signal and vice versa. The terminal high speed signal converted to an optical signal by the adaptor is transmitted to a Fiber Circuit Box through a dark fiber. The box has an optical circuit and optical switching function. It also permits the combining of optical circuits by applying optical patch wires. The HaaS server has an Internet interface. It allows IP communication to/from a terminal adaptor that has internet access capability such as an Ethernet. The HaaS server has a control interface to the Fiber Circuit Box as well. toolbar. A. Adaptor The primary function of an adaptor is to convert an electronic/optical signal. There are many conversion and modulation methods. The selection of the technology depends on a customer’s intended networking service. Typical service examples are: IP signal transmission, sub-carrier signal transmission for TV distribution, microwave signal transmission for a mobile basic station, and HDMI signal transmission for full high definition video. The second function of the adaptor is to control LD and PD on/off signals. HaaS service proposed here is a kind of optical link service that does not require high speed switching. The service could be mentioned as a cross-connect service for a customer designed service. The characteristic is that it allows for transmission of any type of optical signal generally considered as not meeting IP transmission economical and performance criteria. But the inclusion of IP services in the dark fiber links network is not excluded in the paper.
Figure 1. HaaS architecture and components
IV.
HAAS ARCHITECTURE AND COMPONENTS
Fig.1 shows the basic structure of the proposed HaaS. HaaS is composed of Internet and a customer designed dark fiber links network. The HaaS service is provided combining these
The adaptor has an Ethernet port to communicate with the HaaS server. Thus making it possible for the customer to control all adaptors and check the operation of his unique dark fiber links network.
Figure 2. Fiber circuit boards
The adaptor is equipped with operation status displays, interface connectors and a power switch as.
B. Fiber Circuit Box The Fiber Circuit Box has three basic functions for the optical signal arrangement. Fig.2 shows a schematic illustration. The three figures correspond to 3 types of circuit board. They are mounted on box slots, so it is possible to mount these boards as needed. The first illustration shows a splitter circuit. From one left side connector to four right side connectors, an input photonic signal is divided into four outputs. It is a simple passive circuit. So from right to left direction it works as a four to one coupler.
and created. The figure shows the property information displayed for each adaptor. The adaptor has a communication link with the HaaS server. The information is provided to the terminal from the HaaS server via Internet. The operation window within Fig.3 shows that the dark fiber links network can be operated on demand from the customer’s control terminal. TABLE I. TESTBED SPECIFICATION
The middle illustration of Fig.2 shows a photonic signal amplifier. From one left connector to one right one, the photonic signal is amplified. This is an active circuit, so it does not work from the right signal to the left signal. The bottom illustration shows a switching board. There are four input connectors on the left and four outputs on the right. There are four pairs of one left to one right connection with an on/off switch between them. Under each left side connector, a manual on/off switch is illustrated. Fig.2 shows 3 types of board equipped with a number of optical connectors. A fiber patch chord (short fiber wire) is applied to have an optical signal connection that changes, depending on the dark fiber network design. In the following sections, three types of dark fiber links network are introduced. All of them are created from the above mentioned three types of card and with patch chords. The advantage of HaaS architecture is the flexibility of composing a dark fiber network. This characteristic is provided by the fiber circuit box. A switching engineer tends to introduce a switching matrix within a box, but it causes loss of flexibility. The testbed has simple, manual on/off switching. This function could be easily implemented for remote operation from a customer’s control terminal, via a HaaS server and finally to an adaptor. C. HaaS Server Fig.3 shows an example of a customer’s control terminal display that accesses a HaaS server via the Internet. The display shows an overall dark fiber links network topology, i.e., all adaptor location and dark fiber connections via a fiber circuit box. The information is recorded within a server database when a dark fiber links network is newly designed
V.
TESTBED & PRACTICAL USE EXAMPLES
The paper proposes HaaS as a new type of cloud service. For the moment, a complete HaaS set has not yet been completed even as a testbed in Mizusawa Laboratory, but a number of the so-called “dark fiber links networks” have been implemented, both as a testbed and in practical use. In this section, the paper provides three examples. All of them could be implemented as HaaS services rather easily. The third one is now in practical use in Aoyama Gakuin University. Table 1 shows basic specifications of the testbeds. A. 3D HDV Broadcast with Channel Selection Fig.4 shows one testbed structure and connections. It shows how a photonic signal transmits via fibers and optical circuit boards connecting four 3D terminals. Four terminals on the left indicate 3D HDV terminals. The terminal is made up of two full scale HDV TVs together with a half mirror and a thin film for polarization rotation. The terminal also has two commercially available digital video cameras and a custom-made adaptor. Special polarized spectacles are required to see the 3D display.
Figure 3. Customer terminal display
The HDMI signal from a video camera is put into an adaptor where the signal is converted into a photonic signal,
permits the selection of one monitor signal from the two upper terminals. C. One to N 2D HDV Distribution
Figure 4. 3D HDV broadcast with channel selection
then sent to an output single mode fiber. The fiber length is 1km in case of the testbed. It is estimated 10km transmission has no problem. The photonic signal transmits to the fiber circuit box where a necessary photonic operation is performed on the boards, then the photonic signal returns to a terminal. The received photonic signal is converted into an HDMI electronic signal within an adaptor and transmits to a TV display. The service has four 3D HDV inputs. One of them is selected at the uppermost board in Fig.4, then it broadcasts to four terminals. On the testbed it is possible to manually select one source from four 3D HDV inputs. B. 3D Bi-directional Communication with Monitor Distribution Fig.5 shows another testbed 3D service structure and fiber wire connections. It works as a 3D bi-directional communication path between upper two terminals. The 3D terminal is the same one as mentioned above. The fiber cable connection within the fiber circuit box differs from Fig.4. In the case of a simple 3D hotline, just connecting two terminals faceto-face is enough, i.e., a fiber circuit box is not necessary.
1) Fig. 6 shows the practical system operating in my university. The purpose of the system is to distribute full HDV video played by a PC to 2D terminals within a classroom. 2) The issue the system addresses is for a hundred or so students to do programming training in a large room. The room has an LDC projector screen at the front, but for a student at the back, approximately 25-30 meters away it is too hard to see. The conventional method is to transmit an HDV signal in an Ethernet equipped room, but the delay between source and destination display is not negligible when an HDV signal is transmitted. 3) This system converts four HDMI signals via a newly designed adaptor, a photonic signal is split into 16 signals and transmitted through under-floor fibers; at the receiving side the signal is converted to an electronic HDMI signal. In this way no transmission delay is possible between a source and destination displays. In the case of splitting into 16, no photonic amplification circuit is required. At first, 50 HDV display terminals are expected to have a receiving side adaptor. Unfortunately the adaptor number is limited to 16 for financial reasons. By way of compensation, an electronic HDMI splitter is introduced to connect to 50 displays. In the near future a photonic circuit mentioned here will be cheap enough to compete with an electronic circuit.
In Fig.5 the optical circuit connection within a fiber circuit box allows for monitoring of the communication by the two bottom terminals. They are not sending video signals but only monitoring. The manual switch on the third circuit board Figure 6. One to N 2D HDV distribution
VI.
Figure 5. 3D bi-derectional communication with monitor distribution
CONCLUSION
The paper introduced very simple dark fiber applications. Over last plural decades, network service engineers were focused on how to share a fiber transmission capacity. Because everybody thought its capacity is too big and no customer generates such traffic. This is the reason FTTH technology invented. But the basic network service requirements have changed in the last decade. Customers and terminals generate enormous traffic without hesitation. So the paper proposed the change of network design focus from the sharing fiber to a full fiber capacity dedication to a customer. To encourage the change, Hybrid Network as a Service will be helpful.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
[3]
This research is supported by SCOPE of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, Japan.
[4] [5]
REFERENCES [1] [2]
Chlamtac, I.; Fumagalli, A.: Quadro-Star: a high performance optical WDM star network, (IEEE Trans. Com. Vol. 42, Issue 8, 1994) Aijun D., Gee-See P.: A survey of optical multicast over WDM network, (Computer Communications, Volume 26, Feb.2003)
[6]
Michael Beck, “Ethernet in the First Mile: the IEEE 802.3 an EFM standard”,( McGraw-Hill, 2005) Mark Norris, “Gigabit Ethernet Technology and Applications”, (Artech House, 2003) Mizusawa J.:Testbed trials for local CWDM network.( 18-20 Feb. 2009 Pages:1-7 ONDM 2009. International Conference on,) Mizusawa J., Testbed Design and Implementation of HDMI based 3D Broadcast CWDM Access Network (18-20 Oct. 2010, ICUMT2010 [FOAN2010])
