Combined SONET/SDH and OTN architecture

An apparatus for enabling efficient data flows in networks, between SONET and OTN transmission technologies, comprising:

• a Quad SONET block for converting between OTN OTU2 signals and SONET OC192/STM-64 signals;
• a Quad OTN block for converting between OTN OTU2 signals and SONET OC192/STM-64 signals;
• and
• a plurality of multiplexors for enabling transmission of multiple signals over single channels in the architecture.

A method for enabling effective data flow between OTN-compliant and SONET-compliant optical network components, comprising:

• i. transmitting data from an external network as a serial stream and receiving said data as a parallel stream, by means of a serializer/deserialzer (SERDES) component;
• ii. performing frame alignment on OTN frames, using a framer component.
• iii. executing scrambling/descrambling to stabilize said frames, using a scrambler/descrambler component;
• iv. executing error detection on said incoming frames, by a FEC component;
• v. processing information encapsulated in overhead of said frame, by an OHP component;
• vi. building frame overheads in the transmit direction, by said OHP component;
• vii. mapping said incoming OTN frames to SONET frames, by a mapping component;
• and
• viii. processing said SONET frames, by means of a SONET SYS.

A method for enabling effective data flow between SONET-compliant and OTN-compliant optical network components, comprising:

• i. transmitting data from an external network as a serial stream and receiving said data as a parallel stream, by means of a serializer/deserialzer (SERDES) component;
• ii. performing frame alignment on SONET frames, using a framer component;
• iii. executing scrambling/descrambling to stabilize said frames, using a scrambler/descrambler component;
• iv processing information encapsulated in overhead of said frame, by an OHP component and processing pointer data;
• and
• v. mapping said incoming SONET frames to OTN frames, by a mapping component.