PON Federal White Paper WP-106869

7/27/2019 PON Federal White Paper WP-106869

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White Paper

Knowing When to Deploy PONfor Federal Applications

August 2013


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Doubling down on IT investments 3

Growth o passive optical networks 3

Making the grade in secure applications 4A practical perspective 4

PON basics 5

Ethernet PON (EPON) versus Gigabit PON (GPON) 5

PON-riendly applications 6

Scalability within high-security environments 6

Widely dispersed network 7

Application: military base 8

Cost-efciency and streamlined topology 9

Application: multistory, multi-agency building 10

When active Ethernet gets the nod over PON 11

Assessing value instead o cost 11

Reerences and Notes 12

Contents


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Doubling down on IT investments

The United States ederal government is the largest single purchaser o IT in the world. In

2013, it will spend an estimated 79 billion dollars on IT products and services, with the Army,Navy and Air Force accounting or 22.3 billion dollars.1 Over the past ten years, IT spendinghas totaled more than 600 billion dollars.1 Given the recent explosive growth in spendingon cybersecurity initiativesaccording to Delaware Senator Thomas Carper (D), Federalagencies have spent more on cyber security than the entire GDP o North Korea2the trend in IT spending shows no sign o slowing any time soon.

At the same time, there are concerns over how ederal IT dollars are being spent. In June2009, the Oce o Management and Budget (OMB) launched the IT Dashboard, an onlineresource allowing the OMB and the American public to monitor IT investments across allagencies in the ederal government.

In its 2011 year in review, the governments CIO Council, Management Best PracticesCommittee, wrote:

The Federal Government has spent over $600 billion on inormation technology (IT) over thepast decade. Far too oten, IT projects, especially large projects, cost hundreds o millionso dollars more than they should, take years longer than necessary to deploy and delivertechnologies that are obsolete by the time they are completed.

With a 2014 budget o 38 billion dollars1, IT inrastructure accounts or nearly hal o allmoney the ederal government spends on IT. Ensuring that these projects deliver the greatestpossible value requires that ederal CIOs and CTOs squeeze more productivity and longevityrom every inrastructure solution while, at the same time, remaining fexible enough to respondto an ever-changing IT landscape. In an eort to make the best use o public unds, ederalIT managers have started gravitating toward passive optical networks as an alternative totraditional copper-based Ethernet.

Growth o passive optical networksBeginning in the mid-1990s, the telecom industry started investing in passive optical network(PON) technology as a way to deliver improved bandwidth and services to subscribersandan alternative to active copper- and ber-based Ethernet networks. Cost-eective, scalableand with plenty o speed and bandwidth, the technology provided key benets or companiesneeding to move more data, video and voice content over longer spans and to a large numbero users.

In 2009 the ederal government began evaluating PON or use in data networkingapplications. Since then, passive optical networks have started to gain acceptance acrossederal agencies and acilities as a viable option to traditional distributed Ethernet. The primaryinterest rom both Department o Deense (DoD) and civilian agencies is driven by the need to

reduce the CapEX and OpEx associated with new and existing network inrastructure. FederalCTOs and CIOs have also been attracted by PONs ability to merge separate voice, data,video and building automation networks onto one network and one ber. This allows orquicker installation, streamlined and less costly maintenance and the elimination o intermediatenetwork equipment with its associated power needs. By reducing energy requirements acrossthe network, PON provides ederal acilities a greener solution that reduces total cost oownership (TCO) o the network.

The Federal Government is thelargest single purchaser o IT in theworld, spending approximately$75 billion annually on over 6,000separate IT investments. Given thesignifcant size o this investment,

agencies must ensure they providestrong oversight and fnancialstewardship o taxpayer dollarsspent on IT.

- CIO Council, Management Best Practices

Committee, December 8, 2011


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Making the grade in secure applications

Another actor avoring PON technology is security. Inherent security eatures include the

elimination o electromagnetic emissions and resistance to radio requency intererence (RFI).In cases where network cabling is used to transmit unencrypted classied National SecurityInormation (NSI) through areas o lesser classication or control, PON solutions can typicallybe used with either hardened or alarmed carriers. For ederal IT personnel aced withupgrading capacity or reach in networks using protected distribution systems (PDS), PON alsooers key advantages that will be discussed later in this paper.

Whether implemented in a hardened carrier or alarmed carrier, there are also various securitymanagement controls built into each specic PON solution. The scope and level o protectionvaries by manuacturer. The CommScope Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) solution, orexample, enables IT personnel to identiy and quarantine rogue optical networking units (ONUs)and provides media access control (MAC)-ltering or blacklisting and whitelisting end-userdevices. Multiple congurable system alarms provide an additional layer o physical security.

In 2012, PON was certied by the Deense Inormation Systems Agency (DISA) JointInteroperability Test Command (JITC) or use in operational DoD networks, and can thus beimplemented in both classied and unclassied networks. Since then, PON has steadily gainedacceptance as an alternative or complement to distributive Ethernet.

In 2010, the CIO, G-6 o the U.S. Army, citing the cost-eective deployment o PON solutionssuch as Gigabit PON (GPON), issued the Technical Guidance or Network Modernization,which stated:

All camps, posts and stations undergoing modernization shall aggressively adopt GPON andbroadband wireless networking technologies by scal year (FY) 2013 in order to decreaseoperating costs and capital expenditures.

This guidance was reinorced in the May 2012 memorandum issued by the Commanding

General, NETCOM, stating:

NETCOM has identied a requirement or all new construction and all major renovationsto utilize Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology. Any deviation rom therequirement to utilize GPON or said projects will require a waiver rom the CG, NETCOMprior to execution.

A practical perspective

Many industry experts, including CommScope, believe that PON plays an important role in theevolution to more ecient, scalable high-capacity networks. But PON is not a panacea andshould be viewed holistically as one o a range o potential solutions. For some applications,traditional copper- or ber-based Ethernet local area networks (LANs) may provide a better

solution than a PON. For other applications, an integrated network with both PON andtraditional distributed Ethernet may be applicable. CommScope has developed this whitepaper in order to help ederal CIOs, CTOs and IT managers make a more inormed decisionwhen it comes to whether or not to pursue a strategy involving passive optical networks.

As a provider o multiple enterprise network solutionsincluding copper- and ber-basedEthernet, GPON and EPONCommScope oers a broad view that takes into account thespecic advantages o each strategy. This report is designed to provide an unbiased analysis othe strengths o a PON deployment and the circumstances under which it may be the best option.


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PON basics

PON is a point-to-multipoint, ber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network architecture in which unpowered

optical splitters enable one strand o singlemode optical ber to serve multiple users with data,video and voice services. A PON is comprised o two main active (powered) componentsanoptical line terminal (OLT), typically located in the data center or equipment room, and ONUs atthe end-user locations. A network o singlemode ber and passive (non-powered) optical splittersconnects the OLT to the ONUs; the ber and passive equipment between the OLT and ONUs isoten simply reerred to as the optical distribution network (ODN).

The OLT provides the interace between the networks core router and the passive inrastructure.It encodes the Ethernet data or transmission on the PON and manages the upstream datatrac rom the network ONUs. The ONUs distribute the signal via twisted-pair data cable toa variety o Internet protocol (IP)-enabled devices, such as computers, wireless access points(WAPs) and voice over IP (VoIP) phones. A ber cable inrastructure consisting o singlemodeoptical bers and passive optical splitters connects the OLTs and ONUs and distributes the datasignals, reducing the amount o physical cable and active equipment in an installation.

PON takes advantage o wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), using one opticalwavelength or downstream trac and another or upstream trac. Passive optical splittertechnology directs downstream signals to multiple users. Upstream signals are combined at thesplitters using a multiple access protocol, usually time division multiple access (TDMA). PONsupports the ull network data speed (typically 1Gbps or 10Gbps) to the end-user device inboth upstream and downstream directions.

Depending on the number o users supported, bandwidth requirements and type o end-userequipment, a PON can be engineered with single or multiple ber trunks and a variety osplitters and ONUs. The optical split ratio o the passive splitter can vary rom two to 64,but ratios o 32, 16 and eight are most typically used.3 The ONU is typically available in anumber o ormats that support single or multiple users or a wireless access point, and are oten

available with analog telephone service and Power over Ethernet (PoE) options.

Ethernet PON (EPON) versus Gigabit PON (GPON)

Within the PON landscape, two major technologies have emerged. EPON and GPON. Bothtechnologies draw heavily rom the standards developed or broadband PON (BPON). Forexample, both make use o the same type o optical distribution ramework and both use identicalwavelength plans1490 nm or upstream trac and 1310 nm or downstream trac.

There are, however, signicant dierences in the approaches used by each. EPON is a nativeEthernet solution that leverages the eatures, compatibility and perormance o the Ethernetprotocol. GPON, on the other hand, is undamentally a transport protocol that leverages thetechniques o synchronous optical networking (SONET), synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)and generic raming protocol (GFP) to transport Ethernet signals. Ethernet services are adapted

at the Ethernet interaces o the OLT and ONTs and carried over an agnostic synchronousraming structure rom end to end.4

Both GPON and EPON are well suited or the transport o a broad range o services,including ber-to-the-home (FTTH) delivery o voice, Internet data, and cable access broadbandvideo. As carrier-class Ethernet continues to gain widespread acceptance as a universal datanetworking solution or commercial and residential markets, EPON is becoming the technologyo choice or service providers looking to grow their revenue-generating services. This is duein large part to EPONs inherent ability to transport IP data, and the ease with which it canintegrate with existing and uture Ethernet equipment.


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PON-riendly applications

As stated, there are some applications or which PON is especially suited. These include:

Applications requiring anticipated system upgrades to high-security areas or where thererouting o cable may be dicult.

Installations involving widely dispersed nodes requiring very long runs o berProjects where costsespecially initial deployment costsare a key concern and user

bandwidth can be adequately managed

Scalability within high-security environments

A key network concern within most DoD applications is inormation and system security andthe ability to integrate with protected distribution systems (PDS). While both PON and activeEthernet can be used with hardened and alarmed carriers, PON oers signicant advantageswhen it comes to upgrading or expanding the structured cabling network.

Whether constructed o electrical metallic tubing (EMT) or rigid steel ducting, a properlydesigned and installed NSTISSI no. 7003-compliant hardenedcarrier PDS provides excellentprotection rom unauthorized network access. The PDS can, however, present obstacles whenthe need or more throughput or capacity dictates changes to the installed network.

Figure 1 illustrates a typical high-security application where the data network is installed in ahardened-carrier PDS. In the case o a copper-based Ethernet network, upgrading service to thecontrolled access area or secure controlled inormation acility (SCIF) requires replacing all thecabling and switches throughout the network, including those contained in the PDS. Pulling newcable through the existing PDS or expanding the PDS to accommodate the additional cablecan be disruptive and costly.

PON eliminates these problems, enabling simultaneous deployment o a second opticalwavelength that can be used to carry 10GbE trac on the existing 1GbE ber strand. Even iall bers inside the PDS are being used or 1Gbps service, an upgrade to 10Gbps is possiblewithout disrupting existing users or installing new cable. The 1GbE network can then be let inplace or eliminated as users are upgraded.

I cost is an issueor i initial bandwidth needs can be met with a 1Gbps networkPONenables the gradual transition rom the lower speed to the higher speed network. As thenumber o users or application demands increase, they can be migrated as needed tothe 10Gbps service with no changes to the ber distribution network inside the PDS. TheCommScope C9264 OLT, or example, is shipped 10Gbps-ready. So, upgrading rom 1Gbpsto 10Gbps simply requires replacing the line cards within the OLT and replacing the usersONU. For minimal disruption, it is also recommended to plan ahead and install a wavelengthdemultiplexer-multiplexer (WDM) with the initial system.

PONs lighter, thinner ber and compact equipment also provide more options or routing cableand locating components such as ber distribution hubs and OLTs. As a result, PON enables amore fexible topology and may increase options or PDS design.


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Figure 1

As Figure 1 shows, PON can also be integrated with an alarmed-carrier PDS solution.Specialized alarmed-carrier management equipment is used to insert signals onto the ber anddetect tampering o the ber or ber bundle. This equipment, typically provided by a third-partysupplier, is generally compatible with most PON manuacturers solutions. CIOs and CTOs canpotentially oset the added cost o the alarmed management equipment by using interlockingarmored ber in the distribution network to eliminate the cost o the hardened-carrier equipment,such as EMT and steel conduit. Use o an alarmed carrier versus hardened carrier also eliminatesthe need or regular daily inspections, enabling personnel to ocus on other duties. Whenintegrated with a passive optical network, this solution is reerred to as secure PON, or SPON.

Widely dispersed networkOne o the biggest advantages a PON solution has over an active copper-based Ethernetnetwork is its ability to span long distances without degrading perormance. Depending onthe network speed, a typical copper-based active Ethernet solution can span approximately100 meters while a multimode ber can range up to 300 meters rom the equipment closet tothe network node. Extending the network arther requires additional switching equipment plusmounting, powering and cooling or the necessary active equipment.5

PON OLTAlarmed CarrierEquipment

Secure Zone Box can be mountedabove ceiling or under raised floorin the alarmed carrier applications

Hardened Carrier PDS

Armored Fiber Cable

1 Gbs data path on singlmode fiber

10 Gbs data path on singlmode fiber

1 and 10 Gbs data pathscombined on same singlmodefiber

Secure Zone Box (no power required)

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32

Secure Zone Box (no power required)

Secure User Box

PON at Comms/Ops Center

Hardened Carrier PDS

Alarmed Carrier PDS

Controlled Access Area

Data

SIPRNETVOIP

VOIPSecurity/IP Video

Security/IP Video

Video Conference

Video Conference

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

SCIF Room

Controlled Access Area

SIPRNETVOIP

DataVOIPSecurity/IP VideoVideo Conference

1

32

WDM


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For spans greater than 300 meters, PON is an attractive solution. The low-loss characteristicso singlemode ber enable PON to support a maximum physical reach o 20 kilometersor a typical EPON implementation. The ability to serve large areas spanning many square

kilometers with a single network makes PON an excellent choice or deployment over a post,base or large multistory buildings.

It should be noted that a ber-based Ethernet network can provide a similar reach, but at asignicantly higher cost.

Application: military base

Figure 2

Figure 2 illustrates a typical PON architecture or a dispersed, multi-acility military base. In thisexample, a single passive network is used to serve personnel, acilities and systems spanningdozens o square kilometers.

The PON connects to the core router and the wide-area network via the OLT interace in theoperations center. A singlemode, three-ber trunk eeds three optical splitters. At the rst splitter,

one singlemode ber is routed to a variety o on-post service acilities where it carries tracor public Wi-Fi access points (WAPs), as well as voice and data backhaul or the cellularnetwork. The cellular network in this example is a dedicated cell site used to increase signalstrength or network capacity within a xed area. This is especially important or locations likethe special events center where coverage may be dicult to obtain or where a large number osimultaneous users could strain the networks capacity.

The second splitter delivers ber-based voice, data and IP video services to support the closed-circuit video surveillance system at the fight line, VoIP, data services, and potential on-demand

Multi-Fiber Cable (fiber run distance up to 20km)

Fiber 1 Passive Splitter

Cell tower

1 32

Fiber 2

Fiber 3

Passive Splitter

Security video services at Flightline

Passive Splitter

OLT

Voice/Data backhaul forsupplemental capacity/coveragecell site at Sports Stadium

Multistory Military Hospitalwith ONU type per user andservice needs

Voice, Data and Video service offerings at BEQ/BOQ/Family Housing Area

Public Wi-fi accesspoints at Commissary

OLT at Comms orOps center

Public Wi-fi accesspoints at PX

ONUONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU ONU ONU ONU

ONU

Voice/Data/IP Video atMain Gate

1 32

1 32


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video services throughout the barracks and on-base housing. The system in this example alsosupports PoE or the IP video camera, which helps reduce installation and material costs.

The third split provides voice, data and IP video to the main gate and can support rom severalhundred to tens o thousands o network nodes, devices and users throughout the administrativeoces. Where PON is deployed within an existing oce building, its interoperability withEthernet means it could potentially be used in conjunction with the existing legacy system,making the transition to a new service less disruptive. In such cases, it may be possible to useplug-in optical transceivers with existing Ethernet switches or routers to integrate those deviceswith the PON.

Data/SwitchServer

Router

Videopassivesplitter

WorkgroupSwitch

Data

Coax Video

CAT 5 Voice Riser

SinglemodeFiber (passive)OLT to ONT

MM Fiber Riser CAT 6 Data

CAT 5 Voice

Voice

Data CrossConnect

Video CrossConnect

WorkgroupSwitch

Data CrossConnect

Video CrossConnect

VoiceSwitch

Video

Services

Data Center (MDF) Riser Closet (IDF) Distribution Center (User)

Video

Data/SwitchServer

Router

Data

Voice

OLTPassiveOpticalSpliter

VoiceSwitch

VideoServices

Data Center (MDF) Riser Closet (IDF) Distribution Center (User)

Video

ONU

A key beneft to using PON is the ability

to consolidate all video, data and voicetrafc into a single network or higherCapEx and Opex savings.

Figure 3 illustrates the degree to whicha PON can streamline network design.Combining three networks into oneproduces signifcant savings in cablingand installation costs and minimizesdisruption during installation. Deployinga passive network also enables the CIOor CTO to eliminate active componentslike work group and distributionswitches, uninterrupted power supplies(UPS), and cooling and battery backupsystems. The overall result is higherCapEx savings.

Removing many o the active networkcomponents also reduces ongoingcosts associated with cooling, powerrequirements and maintenance. In a2009 study6, Network Strategy Partnersanalyzed the expected fve-year savingson CapEx and OpEx or a passive

Figure 3

optical LAN versus copper Ethernet,

in single- and multi-acility scenarios.The analysis indicated that switchingto the passive solution would result in a39-percent reduction in CapEx or a singlebuilding and 41 percent or a multi-building

deployment. OpEx could be expected

to drop by 52 percent (single building)and 71 percent (multi-building). It shouldbe noted that the amount o CapEx andOpEx savings will vary with design andapplication.

Cost-efciency and streamlined topology


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Application: multistory, multi-agency building

Figure 4 describes the PON topology or a typical multi-agency, multistory ederal building.

In this example, the PON ties into the core network via the OLT in the equipment room.Singlemode ber riser cables connect to passive splitters that serve as ber distribution hubson each foor. The passive splitters do not require power or cooling and can be mounted inenclosed areas, such as suspended ceilings.

1st floor

2nd floor

3rd floor

132

132

132

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

ONU

Basement/

Telecom room

Multi Agency Federal Building

PABX/PSTN

WANOLT

Core LAN switch/router

One single mode fiber per splitter

1:32 passive optical splitter One single mode fiber per ONU

24 1 Gbps ports per ONU

PoE 1 Gbps ports

Four 1 Gbps ports per ONU

WiFi

VoIP

POTS

Figure 4

At each distribution hub, the horizontal ber splits into multiple bers that serve the ONUslocated throughout the foor. The system is capable o supporting up to 98,3047 nodes. Byswitching rom bulkier copper Ethernet cables to smaller, lighter ber and eliminating the needor active equipment and the associated power and cooling requirements, building designersand architects have more reedom in the design and layout o the data network inrastructure.

There are also various deployment options and a degree o fexibility that is not illustratedin the above example. For instance, the PON can be used to support multiple virtual LANs(VLANs), enabling a single network to support multiple separate agencies in the same buildingor complex. PON technology also supports dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA), so thebandwidth or each user or device can be customized and allocated based on needs andbudgets. Quality o service (QoS) levels can be established or specic applications as well.


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When active Ethernet gets the nod over PON

PON delivers a number o signicant benets, but may not be the ideal solution or every IT

inrastructure project. For some applications, active Ethernet may be preerable, especiallywhere maximizing bandwidth is the most important concern. As a point-to-multipoint solution,PON can support tens o thousands o users eectively with robust bandwidth sharing. It alsoenables IT managers to prioritize bandwidth allocation or specic users or groups.

However, when a signicantly large number o users need simultaneous access to a highvolume o network resources, a high-capacity point-to-point network may be preerable. Withany point-to-multipoint network, users share the same data pipe back to the network. To realizethe ull 1Gbps or 10Gbps speed, users essentially take turns sending data. In instances wherea large number o users need access to large amounts o capacity simultaneously, throughputor one or more users may suer.

An active Ethernet network, howeverwhether copper or ber basedprovides each user withdedicated access to the network and its ully provisioned bandwidth whenever needed. The

point-to-point conguration also moves any potential data bottlenecks back toward the networkcore, where the trac volume may be more easily accommodated.

When considering a PON solution, the ederal CIO or CTO should weigh the data throughputcapability o an active Ethernet solution against the reach, cost-eciency and fexibility o aPON. I there is any doubt about PONs ability to handle the capacity, a network trac studyshould be perormed, analyzing the types o devices on the network and the data servicesrequired. A CommScope technical representative can assist with this assessment.

Assessing value instead o cost

Overall, PON provides ederal CIOs and CTOs multiple advantages in a wide variety oapplications, making it more attractive than traditional copper- or ber-based Ethernet networks.

These include the ability to deliver high-speed data, video and voice over a single streamlinednetwork eaturing passive, not active, components; the reach to cover a much wider area witha single run o ber; and the uture-ready capability to upgrade quickly and easily to newtechnologies such as 10GbE.

While the advantages o PON include signicant CapEx and OpEx savings, CIOs andCTOs must evaluate PON versus active Ethernet based on the aggregate value. For mostapplications, a careul analysis o capabilities, perormance and cost may suggest that a PONis the best decision. But it is not necessarily true or all cases. It is important that the IT managerenter into the decision-making process armed with accurate and current data but withoutpreconceived bias. To ensure the best selection o technology, it is recommended that the CIOor CTO work with a provider, like CommScope, who handles both PON and active Ethernetand can provide an end-to-end inrastructure solution.

In the oreseeable uture, there will continue to be extremely close scrutiny o how ederalbudgets are allocated and spent. At the same time, the need or improved IT and ITinrastructure capabilities will also continue to increase. For DoD, Department o Justice (DoJ)and ederal civilian agencies, the ability to demonstrate long-term value o IT inrastructureprojects will continue to be a priority.


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Reerences and Notes1 Federal IT spending or budget year 2014, www.itdashboard.gov, United States Government

2 U.S. Federal Cybersecurity Market Forecast 2013-2018; Market Research Media;April 12, 2013

3 John George, Optical System Design Considerations or FTTP Networks, OFS FiberSystems and Development, 2009

4 White Paper: GPON - EPON Comparison, CommScope, 08/12

5 Is An Optical Evolution Becoming a Revolution? Going the Distance With OLTs, John Hoover,OSP Magazine, Feb. 2013

6 Transormation o the Enterprise Network Using Passive Optical LAN, Network StrategyPartners, LLC; May 2009

7 Assumes use o the CommScope C9264 high-capacity OLT

To learn more about CommScopes portolio o GPON, EPON and active Ethernet solutionsor ederal networks, contact the CommScope Federal Solutions Team at [email protected], or visit the CommScope Federal Solutions Web portal.

www.commscope.com

Visit our website or contact your local CommScope representative or more inormation.

2013 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved.

All trademarks identied by or are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, o CommScope, Inc.This document is or planning purposes only and is not intended to modiy or supplement any specications or warranties relating to CommScope products or services.

WP-106869 EN (09/13)

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