Optical Network Restoration and Migration Using OXADM

Optical cross add and drop multiplexer (OXADM) is a recently invented optical networks device. Designed with a purpose to combine the operational concepts of optical cross connect (OXC) and optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM), OXADM is potentially useful in increasing the efficiency and flexibility of optical networks particularly of the metropolitan ring and mesh configurations. The OXADM node focuses on providing the functions of transportation, multiplexing, routing, supervision, termination and survivability in the optical layer for both ring and mesh topologies. Thus, OXADM is particularly of use for networks which require topology migration from ring to mesh, or vice versa [4]. The main function of OXADM is to reconfigure the optical channel path while implementing add/drop function simultaneously. The 4-channel OXADM design is expected to have a maximum operational loss of 6 dB for each channel [5]. OXADM is also able to provide survivability through restoration against failures by means of linear, multiplex and ring protection to both configurations [6]. Hybrid restoration technique with OXADM enables the linear, ring and multiplex protection mechanism to be integrated in single optical network, which will be activated according to the degree and types of failure. Output power degradation during ring activation is expected to be at 2 dB with respect to normal operating condition. The test was carried out at 2.5 Gbps with BER of 1times10^-10 for linear protection, while BER of 1times10^-19 (to west) and BER of 1times10^-13 (to east) were used for ring protection.