Understanding Optical Communications [Paperback]

Harry Dutton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130201413 | ISBN-13: 978-0130201416 | Publication Date: August 30, 1998 | Edition: 1

If you need to understand the state-of-the-art in optical communications, this is the most complete, up-to-date technical overview available. Over the past 15 years, optical fiber has revolutionized wide area communications -- making possible the Internet as we know it. Now a second fiber revolution is underway. Advanced technologies such as Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) are adding even more capacity, and fiber is increasingly the media of choice in MANs, campuses, buildings, LANs -- soon, even homes. Now, discover the fundamental principles and components of optical communications, as well as the key interfaces and engineering challenges. Understand the roles of FDDI, Ethernet on Fiber, ESCON, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH and ATM. Review key technical issues facing engineers as they extend fiber into new applications and markets -- and get an up-to-the-minute status report on WDM for LANs and MANs. Finally, preview the advanced R&D most likely to bear fruit: dark and spatial solitons, advanced fibers, plastic technologies, optical CDMA, TDM and packet networks, and more. Whether you're building optical systems or planning for them, this is the briefing you've been looking for.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

2014A-8

The complete, up-to-date technical overview of optical communications.

Fibre in the WAN, MAN, local loop, campus and LAN.

Up-to-the-minute coverage of Wavelength Division Multiplexing.

Previews today's advanced research--tomorrow's practical applications.

Over the past 15 years, optical fibre's low cost, accuracy and enormous capacity has revolutionized wide area communications--making possible the Internet as we know it. Now a second fibre revolution is underway. Advanced technologies such as Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) are adding even more capacity, and fibre is increasingly the media of choice in MANs, campuses, buildings, LANs--soon, even homes. If you need to understand the state-of-the-art in optical communications, Understanding Optical Communications is the most complete, up-to-date technical overview available.

• Fundamental principles and components of optical communications.
• Optical communications systems, interfaces and engineering challenges.
• FDDI, Ethernet on Fibre, ESCON, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH and ATM.
• WDM: sparse and dense approaches, photonic networking, WDM for LANs and WDM standards.
• Fibre in the local loop, integration with HFC networks and passive optical networks.

Understanding Optical Communications reviews key technical issues facing engineers as they extend fibre into new applications and markets. It presents an up-to-the-minute status report on WDM for LANs and MANs, including a rare glimpse at IBM's latest experimental systems. It points to the advanced research most likely to bear fruit: dark and spatial solitons, advanced fibres, plastic technologies, optical CDMA, TDM and packet-networks and more. Whether you're building optical systems or planning for them, this is the briefing you've been looking for.

About the Author

Harry J. R. Dutton is a Principal Engineer with the IBM International Technical Support Center, Raleigh, NC, responsible for worldwide technical support of optical communications architectures and standards. A frequent speaker at international conferences, he has authored eighteen publications in many areas of information technology, including high speed communications and ATM.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (August 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130201413
• ISBN-13: 978-0130201416
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really excellent book on optical communications, December 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Optical Communications (Paperback)

This book is an overlooked gem in the optical communications space.It's not quite as technical as Ramaswami and Sivarajan's "Optical Networks" but very understandable and complete. It's an excellent way for a beginner, even someone who already knows non-optical communications, to begin learning about the optical communications space.

It covers all the optical components, including fiber characteristics, LEDs, lasers, photodetectors, optical amplifiers and more. If you're looking for a good introduction to optical communications, this is it.

The only negative is one common to all books on optical communications. The book was actually written in 1998 and earlier. While much hasn't changed, much has. So take the knowledge that's here but continue studying.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up from lambda land, June 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Optical Communications (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to optical networking for applications engineers (AE's) and systems engineers (SE's) who need to get up speed on optics but don't need to wade through 150+ pages of graduate level mathematics. Dutton is required reading at several optical startups that are re-treading internetworking SE's into optics guys. The downside is the publication date--quite a while in networking. Overall analysis: best introduction for technical guys that is currently available.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting stuff, March 22, 2002

By 

"chemical_laser" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Optical Communications (Paperback)

If you've ever wondered how optical communications works, from the nature and physics of fiber optics to digital wavelength mutliplexing, this is the book to have.