Ciena has expanded the optical layer functionality of the CN 4200 Advanced Services Platform by introducting two Optical Amplifier (OA) modules, which extend transport up to 1000 kilometers without regeneration. The CN 4200 optical layer product suite now comprises the OAF-00-1-C fixed-gain amplifier (21 dB, 35 nm OA) as well as the OAV-0S-U-C variablegain amplifier (18-23 dB, 35 nm OA).

The CN 4200 OAs amplify the entire C-band DWDM channel plan and accommodate a single optical fiber for uni-directional transmission. The uni-directional design gives network planners the flexibility to place the most appropriate amplifier at a given network location, improving optical budgets and potentially minimizing costs. The modules are designed with enough flexibility that each OA type can be used alone as a transmit (post-) or receive (pre-) amplifier, or in pairs to create an In-Line Amplifier (ILA). Fixed-gain and variable-gain amplifiers can even be paired together to create a more cost-effective ILA configuration.

Embedded SmartGain control circuitry maintains a constant gain across the transport spectrum regardless of the input power. SmartGain eases the deployment of new services by allowing an increase in new wavelengths without requiring amplifier gain adjustments downstream. In addition, the OAs’ rapid transient-suppression feature protects downstream services in the event of a fiber break.

All OA modules are full width cards installed directly into the card cage of a CN 4200 chassis, and both module types provide system controller functionality. The variable-gain amplifier is equipped with an integrated Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC)1 which provides out-of-band node management.

In particular, the OAV can fully exploit the bandwidth of the fiber plant without having to re-engineer the network by dynamically adjusting for varying degrees of span loss, which can be as much as 1 dB as fiber ages. This capability provides a significant benefit to network operators by allowing them to simplify network planning and installation.

As managed resources, the optical amplifiers are provisioned and monitored from any native management interface or via the ON-Center™ NCS, the companion network management system. The OAs also collect data to monitor the performance of the service and optical layers, facilitating rapid network diagnosis and fault isolation at any point along the optical path.

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Ciena may make changes from time to time to the products or specifications contained herein without notice.