Chapter 2 SDH Basics

Objective

 Standards
 Frame Structure
 Multiplexing
 Section Hierarchy
 Regenerator Section Overhead
 Multiplex Section Overhead
 Path Overhead
 Advantages

Basic data rate

  Common Characteristics E1 and T1

a Audible frequency range (fm) 0 - 3.4kHz ≈ 4kHz 

b Sampling frequency (fs) 2 X fm = 8kHz

c Number of samples per signal 8000 per second

d Length of PCM frame 1/c = 125ųs

e Number of bits in each code word 8

f Telephone channel bit rate c X e = 8000/s X 8 bit = 64kbps

Limitations of PDH

 Inability to identify individual channels in a higher-order bit stream.

 Multiplexing / Demultiplexing is cumbersome (Stage wise).

 Insufficient capacity for network management as limited OAMP operation.

 There’s no standardized definition of PDH bit rates greater than 140 Mbit/s.

 There are different hierarchies in use around the world. Specialized interface
equipment is required to interwork the two hierarchies.
Standards

 The hierarchy is as follows:

Optical Signal Bit Rate Abbreviated as

STM-0 51.84 Mbps 51 Mbps
STM-1 155.52 Mbps 155 Mbps
STM- 4 622.080 Mbps 622 Mbps
STM-16 2488.320 Mbps 2.4 Gbps
STM-64 9953.280 Mbps 10 Gbps
STM-256 39813.12 Mbps 40 Gbps

STM-1 Frame Format

Frame =125µs Frame =125µs Frame = 125µs

STM-1 =  270 Columns (2430 bytes)

1
Regenerato
2 Sectio
Overhea Administrative 
3
Unit
Pointers 4 H1 H2 H
H1H1 H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 H3
Capacity of  9 
5 the
Virtual  Rows
6 Multiple
Container+
7
Sectio Pointer
Overhea
s
8
9

Overhead width = 9 columns

STM-1 Frame Format

STM-N Frame Format

Frame = 125µs

Frame Format
 STM - Section overhead and Administrative unit

 Section overhead – Regenerator section overhead and Multiplex section overhead

 Administrative unit – Virtual container and pointers

 Virtual container - Payload and Path overhead information

    STM-N
 

     
Section  Administrative
Overhead        unit

Regenerator  Multiplex  Pointer   Virtual 

Overhead overhead Container

   Path 
Overhead  Payload
Mapping Elements

 Container
 Virtual Container
 Tributary Unit
 Tributary Unit Group
 Administrative Unit
 Administrative Unit Group
 STM-N Frame

SDH Multiplexing
Container

 Input signals are placed into the containers

 It adds stuffing bytes for PDH signals,which compensates for the permitted
frequency deviation between the SDH system and the PDH signal

• C12 (2 Mbps – G.703)

• C11 (1.5 Mbps)
• C2 (6 Mbps)
• C3 (34 / 45 Mbps)
• C4 (140 Mbps
Virtual Container

MAPPING : It is a process from Containers to Virtual containers.

+ =
POH PAYLOAD POH PAYLOAD

ANALOGY:

• Packing C2 carton box with some more packing material and labeled as VC2 box
• It adds overheads to a container or groups of tributary units, that provides
facilities for supervision and maintenance of the end to end paths
• VCs carry information end to end between two path access points through the
SDH system
• VCs are designed for transport and switching sub-SDH payloads

• VC12 (C12 + POH)

• VC11 (C11 + POH)
• VC2 (C2 + POH)
• VC3 (C3 + POH)
• VC4 (C4 + POH)

• At each level, subdivisions of capacity can float individually between the payload
areas of adjacent frames. Each subdivision can be readily located by its own
pointer that is embedded in the overheads.
• The pointer is used to find the floating part of the AU or TU, which is called a
virtual container (VC).
• The AU pointer locates a higher-order VC, and the TU pointer locates a lower-
order VC. For example, an AU–3 contains a VC–3 plus a pointer, and a TU–2
contains a VC–2 plus a pointer.
• A VC is the payload entity that travels across the network, being created and
dismantled at or near the service termination point.
 Tributary Unit

• It adds pointers to the VCs

• This pointer permits the SDH system to compensate for phase differences within
the SDH network and also for the frequency deviations between the SDH
networks
• TUs acts as a bridge between the lower order path layer and higher order path
layer

• TU12 (VC12 + pointer)

• TU2 (VC2 + pointer)
• TU3 (VC3 + pointer)

Tributary Unit Group

• It defines a group of tributary units that are multiplexed together

• As a result, a TU group could contain one of the following combinations

• Three TU-12s (TUG – 2)

• Seven TUG-2s (TUG – 3)
Administrative Unit
• It adds pointer to the HO Virtual containers(similar to the tributary unit)

• AU - 3 (VC-3 + pointer)
• AU - 4 (VC-4 + pointer)

Administrative Unit Group

• It defines a group of administrative units that are multiplexed together to form

higher order STM signal

Synchronous Transport Module – n

• It adds section overhead (RSOH & MSOH) to a number of AUGs that adds
facilities for supervision & maintenance of the multiplexer & regenerator sections
• This is the signal that is transmitted on the SDH line
• The digit “n” defines the order of the STM signal
SDH Multiplexing

4
columns TU – 12
9X4

1 2 3 4 9 rows

TUG-2
Stuffing and 1 2 3
9 X 12
POH
TUG-3
9 X 84

Section Over P P P
Head O O O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
H H H
TUG - 3 TUG - 3 TUG - 3

(9 X 9) 9 X 261

Mapping of 2Mbps into STM – N

1 2 3 32
2.048 Mbps
(E1) 32 Bytes

Stuffing Bytes
C-12 1 23 32
34 Bytes

POH (LowerOrder)
VC-12 1 23 32
35
Bytes
 Pointer

TU-12

36 Bytes

TU 12 is arranged
Into Matrix of 9 X 4

9 Rows

4 Columns

TU-12 TU-12 TU-12

9 Rows

4 Columns 4 Columns 4 Columns

Multiplexing

TUG-2 9 Rows

12 Columns