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GUEST EDITORIAL
DOCSIS® PROVISIONING OF ETHERNET PON (DPOE™)
Mehmet Toy
T
Robert S. Fish
he tremendous demand on carriers for bandwidth in the access network, as well as demands on carriers to manage that bandwidth, continues to drive the technical evolution of access networks. As one approach to satisfy these demands, DOCSIS® Provisioning of EPON (DPoE™), combines two access technologies: Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) and Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification ( DOCSIS). DOCSIS makes possible mature service provisioning mechanisms based on centralized back-office automation. EPON provides a transport layer between the DPoE System and a number of connected DPoE optical network units (D-ONUs) for distances of 20 km and more. The completely passive interconnection structure of EPON also reduces capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX) by requiring no electrical power outside of the hub. DPoE technology has been defined by Comcast, Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Bright House Networks (BHN) along with EPON product vendors and CableLabs. The DPoEv1.0 specifications were published in February 2011. In addition, the DPoEv2.0 specifications are being developed by the same multiple-system operators (MSOs), CableLabs, and vendors, while vendors’ equipment is going through CableLabs’ qualification testing for DPoEv1.0. The purpose of MSOs in developing DPoE technology is to minimize access fiber and equipment cost, and operational cost. This is possible by aggregating 16, 32, and 128 ONUs on a single port of the DPoE System that has optical line termination (OLT), Ethernet switch, and router functionalities. DPoE takes advantage of optical technology by aggregating users with passive components as well as autoprovisioning capabilities of DOCSIS that have been developed and used for many years by MSOs. Demarcation devices, D-ONUs, and services to be offered over DPoE are expected to be auto provisioned. This should shorten the time interval for equipment and service provisioning. DPoE supports carrier Ethernet services defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF): E-Line, E-LAN, and ETree. Various applications such as voice, video, and Inter-
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Curtis Siller
net access will be able to run over these services. The services are maintained by using service operations, administration, and maintenance (SOAM) techniques defined in International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Y.1731, IEEE 802.1ag, and MEF SOAM performance management (PM) and MEF SOAM fault management (FM) specifications. This feature topic has been organized by the Cable Networks and Services Subcommittee of IEEE ComSoc. It consists of five articles. The first article, “ DPoE Architectures and Services,” describes physical and logical layers, service management, configuration, and provisioning of DPoE networks. DPoE networks can support various types of commercial and business services. This article describes services that are being offered over DPoE networks and examines the future capabilities of DPoE Network elements. The second article, “Service OAM in DOCSIS™ Provisioning of EPON (DPoE™) Networks,” describes SOAM mechanisms for metro Ethernet Services over DPoE, based on ITU-T Y.1731, IEEE 802.1ag, and MEF SOAM PM and FM. The third article, “Automating Provisioning of Demarcation Devices in DOCSIS® Provisioning of EPON (DPoE™),” describes an automation mechanism for Demarcation devices connected to a D-ONU, enabling secure transfer of a service configuration file from the back-office server of the network operator to the Demarcation device via the D-ONU to which it is connected. The fourth article, “An Efficient Mechanism for Service OAM Performance Monitoring Metric Collection for MEF Carrier Ethernet,” proposes a more efficient and scalable performance measurement metrics collection architecture, using Internet Protocol Detail Record Streaming Protocol (IPDR/SP) for the new generation back office. The proposal suggests using standards-based streaming protocol and Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based data modeling language, rather than Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The final article, “EPON over Coax (EPoC),” describes EPoC technology, which will be standardized within the
IEEE Communications Magazine • September 2012
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GUEST EDITORIAL next few years. This article examines the technical, economic, and market drivers for EPoC technology, and explores the goals and challenges of EPoC. We hope readers find the articles informative, and that this feature topic contributes to better understanding of the current issues and challenges in DPoE. We would like to thank all the authors for their work and contributions to this feature, and the reviewers who have given their time generously, and provided valuable feedback and comments on the papers to make this feature topic a reality.
BIOGRAPHIES M EHMET T OY [SM] (
[email protected]) received his Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. He is currently a Distinguished Engineer at Comcast involved in network architectures and standards for metro Ethernet and DPoE services. Prior to his current position, he held executive, managerial, and technical positions at ADVA Optical Networking, Intergenix, Intel Corp., Verizon Wireless, Axiowave Networks, Fujitsu Network Communications, AT&T Bell Labs, and Lucent Technologies. He contributed to research and development of carrier Ethernet, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), optical, wireless, and ATM technologies. He published articles and books in these areas and signal processing, including his recent book, Networks and Services. He served in UNCC as a tenure-track faculty member, and in WPI and NJIT as adjunct faculty member. He also served on the IEEE Network Editorial Board, IEEE-USA, and IEEE ComSoc in various capacities. He received various awards from IEEE-USA and AT&T Bell Labs. He is Chair of the IEEE ComSoc Cable Networks and Services subcommittee. ROBERT S. FISH (
[email protected]) received his Ph.D. from Stanford University. Currently, he is president of Netovations Group, LLC, a consulting company specializing in networking technology innovation. Previously, he was chief product officer and senior vice president of operations at Mformation Technologies, Inc. a company that specializes in software for mobile device management. From 1997 through 2006 he was vice president and managing director of the Panasonic Digital Networking Laboratories with laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, and San Jose, Santa Barbara, and San Diego, California. During this time, his laboratories pioneered many concepts in secure network-connected consumer electronics, and supported the standardization and policy initiatives required to introduce these concepts to the marketplace. Prior to that, he was executive director of Multimedia Communications Research at Bellcore after starting his career at Bell
IEEE Communications Magazine • September 2012
Laboratories. At Bellcore, he was responsible for some of the world’s earliest digital video broadband distribution trials. He is the holder of eight U.S. patents and has numerous publications. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Standards Association and vice-chair of the Cable Networks and Services Technical Subcommittee of the IEEE Communications Society. He co-founded the IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC) for which he serves as steering committee chair. In 2007 he received the Distinguished Service Award from ComSoc’s Multimedia Technical Committee. CURTIS SILLER [LF] (
[email protected]) received his B.S.E.E. (Highest Honors), M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He then joined Bell Laboratories, where over a 30-year career he worked in the areas of: antenna theory and electromagnetic propagation; communication theory; high-speed signal processing; synchronous time-division multiplex and packet network architectures; cable modem protocols; and wireless communications. For the latter he developed and articulated Lucent Technologies’ strategic position on cellular voice and mobile data networking technologies, and coordinated associated standards development in multiple fora. After concluding his engagement with Bell Labs in 2001, he went on to become chief technology officer with Cetacean Networks and then Rivulet Communications, working on quality-of-service technology for real-time applications on the Internet. In 2004 he also founded an active consulting practice, Enginnovation, which focuses on packet network system design and intellectual property development and protection. He has published extensively, including nearly 70 refereed papers, is co-editor of a book on synchronous optical networks, and a contributor to four other reference texts. He was awarded eight patents, was named a Bell Labs Fellow, and has received several industry and professional awards. He has helped organize or administratively facilitate more than 30 conferences and workshops, while also giving invited talks at many international venues. His IEEE volunteer activities date back to 1965, when he was Vice-Chair of his university chapter. After briefly volunteering for the Antenna and Propagation Society (APS), he found his “home” in the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), where he served on the Board of Governors between 1997–2011. He served two terms as a ComSoc Vice President, several terms as a Director, four roles on publications boards, and was Society President (2004–2005). He fondly remembers being Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Magazine (1993–1995), after serving as a Technical Editor since 1987. For the past several years he has been a member of IEEE Standards Association Standards Board committees, the IEEE Product Services and Publications Board (PSPB), and almost innumerable other Institute-level committees. He is the recipient of two IEEE Communications Society service awards; received a 2000 IEEE Millennium Award; and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi honor societies. He served on the IEEE Board of Directors from 2008–2009.
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