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Optical Switches: Making Optical Networks a Brilliant Reality

Table of Contents:
Definition and Overview
1. The Evolving Core Optical Network
2. Economical Challenges
3. Two Types of Optical Switches
4. All-Optical Switches
5. Intelligent O-E-O Switches
6. Space and Power Savings
7. Optimized Optical Nodes
Self-Test
Glossary
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Self-Test
1. Optical switches promise to offer carriers which of the following benefits?
a. Improved efficiency
b. Lower capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX)
c. New revenue-generating services
d. All of the above
2. Utilizing O-E-O switches in the core of the network can provide which of the following?
a. 60-70 percent lower capital cost
b. 50-70 percent less power
c. 90 percent less space
d. All of the above
3. Which of the following technologies is arguably the leading technology for enabling an economically viable, scalable, all-optical, O-O-O switch?
a. Liquid crystal
b. Thermo-optic bubble
c. MEMS
d. Thermo-optic/Electro-optic waveguide
4. Which of the following is a key strength of an all-optical, O-O-O switch?
a. Wavelength conversion
b. Optical core grooming
c. Restoration
d. Protocol and rate independence
5. Which of the following is a key strength of intelligent O-E-O switches?
a. Manageability
b. Intelligence
c. SONET–like protection and restoration
d. All of the above
6. Rapidly increasing bandwidth demand is making carriers demand which of the following capabilities in their networks?
a. Improved scalability
b. Ability to quickly bring new bandwidth on-line
c. Increased manageability and efficiency
d. All of the above
7. The grooming requirements of carriers will be met by O-O-O switches.
a. true
b. false
8. A future optimized optical node will use all-optical O-O-O switching for pass through traffic while O-E-O switching will be used for service provisioning, demuxing signals into lower bit rates and repackaging them for more efficient transport.
a. true
b. false
9. With two types of optical switches being offered, which of the following is true?
a. The current core network will receive the most benefit from using O-E-O switches exclusively.
b. The current core network will receive the most benefit from using O-O-O switches exclusively.
c. As technology develops the two types of switches will coexist and complement each other.
d. None of the above
10. Carriers can derive immediate economic benefit from CAPEX and OPEX savings in addition to gaining ongoing top-line revenue from the implementation of optical switches.
a. true
b. false
Glossary >>

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