Optical Network Design and Implementation 1st Edition

Where do I start with such a superb book? I recently read the book titled "Optical Network Design and Implementation" by Vivek Alwayn. ISBN: 1587051052. I had looked at several sources for a good book on optical networks. After searching technical bookstores and on-line searches, I became discouraged. I usually have high expectations when it comes to books. Then I finally found this one, which blew my expectations out of the water. This book is a great resource of information regarding optical networking.This book goes into significant detail about the different technologies that make up optical networking. The book covers everything from the refraction of light to different multiplexing methods.I would recommend this book to any Network Engineer that is interested in optical networks. The content relates mostly to work in the services provider space, but for people like me that can't stand not knowing, this is it.There is literally at least one figure per page if not more. The author and contributors have done a superb job of making sure the appropriate illustrations; tables and figures are in the detail of the book. These figures assist a great deal when attempting to accurately comprehend a certain topic or technology.The first half of the book is strictly standards technology. The author wastes no time at all diving into technology. This book is strictly for the engineer. Lightweights need not apply.The second half of the book provides detailed information on Cisco's arsenal of equipment that provide Multiservice SONET and SDH functions. The author includes screen shots of the configuration examples along the way. Having screen shots included in the text has definite advantages, especially when it comes to teaching the reader what to look for and turning text into actual application. Often times saving the reader time when it comes to implementing. The disadvantage to including the screen shots is that it's very possible as the product matures, that the screen may change slightly or perhaps significantly. This might confuse a reader in the future.There is an outstanding section that lists the cards and components for the Cisco ONS 15454. Another nice addition is the inclusion of information regarding the Cisco Transport Controller (CTC) and the Cisco Transport Manager (CTM). There are several screen shots along with great information about these applications.The remaining chapters cover just about every detail that's needed to configure the ONS 15454. This device seems to have everything you need to scale the Metro Area Network. The authors also includes in a few foundational chapters, a kind of, where we came from and where we are going in the Metro Area space. This section is a very nice read for someone who doesn't live and breathe MAN technologies.The company I work for is getting ready to start the process of searching for alternate solutions and ways to scale the Metro Area Network for our companies use. This book has provided me with a great perspective as to what is available today and the pro's and con's of several optical technologies.Thanks again Cisco Press for publishing a vital resource.

I work for a switch fabric semiconductor company. I wanted to gain a better understanding of the types of systems that our components would be used in, specifically relating to IP-over-SONET traffic, MSPPs and ring protection mechanisms. This book fit the bill quite nicely. It covers the basics of fiber optic technology, including DWDM. The treatment of SONET and SDH is very thorough, with good illustrations included. The last part of the book deals specifically with the provisioning and applications of various Cisco ONSs. I found the Network Case Studies in the last chapter to be very informative, as it helps reinforce the material and demonstrate how it can be applied to a real-world network.I give the review 4 stars, for a couple reasons. First, having experience as a designer of fiber optic transponder modules, I felt that the treatment of fiber optic technologies and DWDM in chapters 3 and 4 was a little on the light side. Some of the important concepts, such as chromatic dispersion, are treated in somewhat vague terms and could be explained more fully, without getting too technical. For a better understanding of such concepts, I recommend "Understanding Fiber Optics" by Hecht.Also, there are numerous small errors in the book that may lead to misunderstanding of the material. Some errors look like simple typos, and others are technical errors. They are too numerous to list here, but hopefully an errata or second revision will be published to correct these. For example, in the unidirectional and bidirectional rings shown in figures 5-36 through 5-38, the east and west traffic directions are swapped. This may cause confusion when attempting to trace the traffic flow in the diagrams, as described in the text (which is correct).Figure 5-22 shows a diagram of an Add/Drop Mux, but the text describes it as a Terminal Mux. granted, these are small problems, but may cause confusion for some, nonetheless.All in all, this is a very good book and I highly recommend it.Roger MillerEnigma Semiconductor

Optical Network Design and Implementation is the most technically informative Cisco book I have ever written. So much so, that it should be required reading for any WAN engineer/architect.Most standard Cisco training (CCNA, CCNP, CCDP, CCIE R&S) will not provide the information in this book. However, all WAN engineers need a solid understanding of optical networking, particularly SONET/SDH rings for large circuit delivery and protection at important locations. Many outages are caused by lack of or improper configuration and provisioning of SONET rings. Redundant routers, good IGP design, and backup links can be rendered useless when all transport is delivered over the same broken SONET ring. This book provides the necessary level of detail so engineers can prevent these problems and provision new SONET rings correctly.The only drawback of this book (and thus the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) is its level of detail. This book is not for beginners or for light reading. I even had to read the book twice to get the information clear. Many sections are extremely detailed, explaining traffic down to the byte level. There were also a large amount of acronyms to keep track of. The book reads more like a manual than a book. Nonetheless, this book is worth the reading effort. It will be hard to find this level of detail on optical networking anywhere else, even on the Internet.The book layout is essentially split into two. The first section explains optical networking in general, vendor neutral format (fiber optics, SONET, SDH, RPR, etc). This is very useful for all readers. The second section explains the Cisco MSPP platform. This will be very useful to organizations using this platform.