A prototype Gbit/s multi-service network

At the Hewlett Packard Research Laboratories in Bristol, the construction of a Gbit/s network is under way and will serve as a test-bed for experimentation with high speed and multi-service networks. The architecture of the system, along with the networking protocols used are described. An optical medium at the physical layer is used to support the high bit rates. A laser transmitter module operating at a wavelength of 1300 nm and a PIN/FET transimpedance optical receiver are used. The transmission medium is standard single mode optical fibre. The stations on the network are active-the optical signal is converted to an electrical signal, processed and converted back to an optical signal before transmission to the next station. The clock for transmission is regenerated at each station so that accumulation of jitter does not occur