The current invention relates generally to computer-based industrial control systems, such as microprocessor control of digital and analog functionality, and much more particularly relates to methods and apparatus for calibrating, monitoring, andcontrolling an optical transponder.
Methods and apparatus are supplied in accordance with the present invention in which a control mechanism, such as for instance, a microcontroller, provides an interface between an optical transponder and an external control system, such that monitoring and controlling from the optical aspects of the optical transponder are accomplished in an efficient and cost-effective manner. In some embodiments from the present invention, methods and apparatus provide for testing and calibration of the optical transponder without removing any part of a protective housing within which the internal components of the optical transponder are disposed.
With advances in integrated circuit, microprocessor, fiber optic networking and communication technologies, progressively more devices, in particular, digital computing devices, are being networked together. Such products are often first coupled to alocal area network, for example an Ethernet-based office/home network. In turn, the neighborhood area networks are interconnected together through wide area networks, for example Synchronous Optical Networks (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, FrameRelays, and so on. Of particular importance is the TCP/IP based global inter-network, the web. The rapid growth of the web has fueled a convergence of information communication (datacom) and telecommunication (telecom) protocols and requirements. It is increasingly important that data traffic be carried efficiently across local, regional and wide area networks.
As a result of this trend of increased connectivity, progressively more applications that are network dependent are being deployed. Types of these network dependent applications include, but aren’t restricted to, the internet, email,Internet-based telephony, and various kinds of e-commerce and enterprise applications. The success of many content/service providers as well as commerce sites depends on high-speed delivery of a big volume of data across wide areas. In turn, thistrend results in an increased interest in high-speed data trafficking equipment, for example high-speed optical-electrical routers or switches and the like. In other words, like a widening variety of new and traditional services converge across sharedinter-networking transport structures, there is a critical demand for Internet to simultaneously deliver higher bandwidths, more reliable service, and greater deployment flexibility.
The widespread deployment of high-speed networking and communications equipment has produced a large demand for various networking and communications components and subsystems. Included among these are modules often referred to as optical transponders.
Optical transponders typically include components for electrical signal processing, and components for transmission and reception of optical signals. Conventional optical transponders typically receive electrical signals in parallel,serialize the information represented by these signals, convert the serialized data into a light-based signal and couple that signal to an outbound optical fiber. Similarly, conventional optical transponders, typically receive a serialized light-based datastream, convert that data stream for an electrical equivalent, de-serialize that data, and provide the de-serialized electrical data, i.e., data inside a parallel format, to some plurality of output terminals. Conventional optical transponders typically includea case, or housing, within which the electrical and optical components are housed. Such a case provides physical protection for the components, as well as provides thermal conductivity so that heat might be dissipated from the components disposed within thecase.
Optical transponders are often utilized in some applications the link length is much more than what the power budget defines or there isn’t a definite type of sight backward and forward end nodes. OEO means optical-to-electrical-to-optical. It is a kind of transponders. OEO converts optical signal to electrical signal and then to optical signal again. It enables for add-drop functionality, in addition to simple optical reply or transponder. FiberStore supply 1G, 2G and 4G OEO, 125M~4.25G OEO Converter, 125M~1.25G OEO Converter, such as SFP to SFP Optical-Electrical-Optical type media converter/repeater to satisfy your different requirement. 10G OEO is also available.