PDF of this tutorialDefinition
Optical Ethernet is the technology that extends Ethernet beyond the local-area network (LAN) and into metropolitan-area networks (MANs) and wide-area networks (WANs). While Ethernet LANs are almost exclusively used within the enterprise, optical Ethernet technology can be used as a service provider offering.
Overview
Optical repeaters were part of the first Ethernet standard back in the early 1980s. Today, optical Ethernet advances promise to take Ethernet transport to levels undreamed of back then and not even feasible using copper technologies today. Thanks to advances in optical Ethernet, this most common (and most standard) of LAN technologies will soon be the most common (and most standard) of WAN technologies. This tutorial explores the history and potential of optical Ethernet technology, focusing specifically on its impact on service-provider networks and services.
