FS MS8100 Series — Multi-Service Optical Transport Platform

FS has launched the MS8100 Series, an optical networking platform that serves as an all-service access transmission platform, also known as an MS-OTN platform. Designed for access/aggregation layers and metro-edge environments, the MS8100 Series combines OTN, SDH, and Packet Services into a single platform, offering a highly flexible and cost-effective transport network solution. This article aims to explore the technology, key components, benefits, and applications of the MS8100 Series.

MS-OTN Introduction

What Is MS-OTN?

MS-OTN, short for Multi-service Optical transport network, shares similar concept with POTN (Packet Optical Transport Network). Its core principle is all-in-one. MS-OTN is an integration of SDH, PKT, and OTN. It features a three-plane and three-core architecture that combines OTN, TDM, and packet switching, which enables L0/L1/L2 orchestration and busniess isolation, and provides a transport network with higher quality and low cost.

Figure 1: Multi-service Access and Universal Switching

Why We Need MS-OTN?

We have shown the basic understanding of MS-OTN. Let's give an example to explain how MS-OTN improve the optical transmission.

Figure 2: The Features of MS-OTN

As a restaurateur, you have customers ordering burgers, steaks, and salads. The question is whether it's better to recruit three teams of chefs, each specializing in one dish, or to recruit a team of chefs capable of preparing all three. At the time, Option 2, which offered lower costs and greater affordability, was considered the favorable choice. That's exactly the advantages of MS-OTN and the reason we need it. MS-OTN is the team that can deal burgers, steaks, salads or other dishes. It offers strong flexibility to simplify management, operation and maintenance.

FS's Brand-New Platform for MS-OTN Solution

Given the significant advantages of MS-OTN, FS have introduced the MS8100 Series to meet the transmission needs in multi-service scenarios. The product and features of the MS8100 Series will be presented in detail.

Product Overview of MS8100 Series

Chassis Features and Options

The MS8100 Series offers a 5RU 19" chassis, equipped with power supply, fan, and controller card. The chassis has two redundant and field-replaceable AC or DC power supply units. The AC power modules occupy four card slots, while the DC power modules occupy one card slot. So the AC version chassis features 12 slots for service cards, while DC version chassis has 15 slots for service cards. Both chassis are equipped with one switching card (controller card), and provide an additional full slot for a second switching card for redundancy.

The switching card supports three different service types, including OTN, PTN and SDH. The capacity of its centralized switching and processing of packet services is up to 280 Gbit/s, and the capacity of cross connet is 210 Gbit/s.

Figure 3: AC or DC Power Supply Units in MS8100 Series Chassis

Multiple Electrical Layer Modules

The MS8100 Series provides four electrical-layer modules — OTU10, SGH8, SH4, and TN4.

Product P/N	Outlook	Description	Client/Line Side	Features
OTU10		5 Channels WDM Transponder (Converter), 10 SFP/SFP+ Slots, with Multi-service Multi-rate 2-way OCP Protection	Both	1.25Gbit/s-11.317Gbit/s Rate
SGH8		8 x SFP, SDH Tributary Board or 8-way GE Dual-span Service Board	Client Side	EOS Mode: 8x GE Services； SDH Mode: 8x STM-1/STM-4 Services
SH4		4 x SFP, SDH Cross Connection and Aggregation Card, Support Interface Rate Configuration	Both	STM-1/STM-4/STM-16 Services
TN4		4 x SFP+, 4-way OTU2 Hybrid Line Board	Line Side	SDH/PTN/OTN Hybrid Transmission

Table 1: Electrical-layer Modules of MS8100 Series

OTU10 is a 5 channels bidirectional wavelength conversion card, converting 1310nm/1550nm wavelength to DWDM or CWDM wavelength. The OTU10 is used in pairs at the client side of both ends of the link, and supports client-side wavelength conversion and OCP. It supports OCP and each OCP group supports 1 client-side interface and 2 line-side interfaces. Each OTU10 supports 2 OCP groups, and 2 OCP groups support enabling/disabling OCP respectively.

SGH8 is a tributary card only for client side. It provides two working modes — EOS mode and SDH mode, via management software to configure. In EOS mode, SGH6 supports 8x GE; In SDH mode, it supports 8x STM-1/STM-4. Thus, the MS8100 Series chassis (AC version) can support up to 96 GE (Gigabit Ethernet) service accesses, to meet the business carrying requirements at the access layer.

SH4 is an SDH aggregation card, which supports multiple interface modes: 2x STM-16 interfaces, 4x STM-1/STM-4 interfaces, or 1x STM-16 interface and 2x STM-1/STM-4 interfaces. This card can be used on either the client side or the line side and supports various low-rate transmission combinations.

TN4 is a 4-way line card, used for line side. The TN4 line side supports the backplane to access up to 40G PS services (32 virtual interfaces) and up to 2 ways of SDH STM-16 services and mapping and multiplexing these services from the backplane to 4 ways of OTU2 services on the front panel.

The MS8100 Series offers flexibility in selecting and combining four cards for wavelength conversion and mapping low-rate client signals (GE, STM-1/STM-4/STM-16) into SDH or OTN signals. This solution also provides a cost-effective approach to deliver multiple access services. For example, in nodes where a limited number of different STM-1/STM-4/STM-16 signals are needed, users can avoid equipping separate cards for each signal type. Instead, they can choose from the available four cards to support the required mixed configuration, which reduces maintenance stock volume and costs, preventing unused ports.

Optical Layer Modules

The 5RU MS8100 shelf hosts optical layer components such as amplifiers and protection switch. They come in the following flavors:

Table 2: Optical-layer Modules of MS8100 Series

Besides, one 8 channels DWDM Mux Demux and two Dispersion Compensation Modules are also available in the MS8100 series, which helps multiplex and demultiplex signals, and decrease the signal attenuation and defomation.

Features and Benefits of MS8100 Series

The MS8100 Series represents a flexible and cost-effective solution to access the OTN, SDH, and PS services, and support the OTN, SDH, EoO, and other leased lines. The leased line services can be remotely accessed, aggregated to the CO, and scheduled on the access-type OTN devices or network.

The MS8100 Series Platform provides the following features and benefits:

• Long-distance Transmission: The MS8100 Series supports seamless long-haul transmission, eliminating the need for regenerators along the way.

• Three-core Architecture: With its versatile design, the series supports PTN, OTN, and SDH architectures, compatible with both DWDM and CWDM systems.

• Flexible Configuration: Users can easily configure services between PTN, OTN, and SDH, providing the flexibility to adapt to dynamic network requirements and deploy services on demand.

• High Reliability: Key units such as the controller, switch, cross-connect, and power supply are equipped with 1+1 protection, ensuring uninterrupted service availability. Additionally, the series supports various protection mechanisms such as OMS, OCh 1+1 protection, ODUk SNCP protection, MPLS-TP ring wrapping protection, Ethernet Linear Protection Switching, and Ethernet Ring Protection Switching.

• Comprehensive Access: The MS8100 Series enables flexible access for a wide range of services, accommodating transmission rates from 2M to 10G. In a single slot, it can support up to 5 channels of 10G service, providing ample capacity for diverse connectivity needs.

• Remote Management: With support for Telnet, file management, alarm logs, and more, the series offers convenient remote management capabilities. This allows network users to efficiently monitor and maintain the platform from a centralized location.

Conclusion

The MS8100 Series, as a MS-OTN platform, deeply integrats packet transport and optical transport technologies. It offers the flexibility to support both L2 switching and L1 switching, allowing for easy scalability and customization in various application and network deployment scenarios to realize multi-service access and aggregation.