Passive Optical LAN Solution

Cost saving and energy efficiency 

a. Motorola POL solution provides an option for enterprises interested in significant capital (CapEx ) and operational cost (OpEx) savings propelled by a greater than 50 percent reduction in five-year total cost of ownership (TCO) over today’s traditional LAN architectures, including more than 70 percent savings in the cost of service agreements and 40 percent in energy savings. (Motorola arrives at this TCO estimate using Passive Optical LAN deployed in of single 3-floor building with a total of 1080 end users with one voice and one Ethernet port per location and ubiquitous access to Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected wireless LAN.)

b.POL incorporates a highly scalable centralized distribution approach with the passive nature of GPON. Adding to this is POL’s inherent reach and ability to serve the same Ethernet-based devices or systems while using a greatly simplified architecture consisting of an EAS and WGT. Simply stated, there is less resource, capital and operational expenses required to support a POL deployment compared with the myriad copper Ethernet cables and multiple distribution and workgroup switches of a traditional Ethernet LAN.

c. Equipment-packed intermittent distribution frames (IDF) or wiring closets can create a tremendous amount of heat. Eliminating workgroup switches means eliminating the expenses associated with power, cooling and battery backup where deployed.

d. While installing a single fiber connection can still be more expensive than installing a single Category 5 or new Category 6 cable connection, the POL is still more cost-effective in terms of cabling because a traditional Ethernet LAN requires a cable connection to every single user port. A POL, on the other hand, uses a single fiber between the aggregation switch and the passive fiber distribution hub (FDH) located in the IDF. From the FDH, the single POL is split via fiber distribution terminals (FTD) and connected to up to 32 or 64 WGTs with each WGT supporting up to four Ethernet devices or systems. The net result is a much lower cost for lateral cable runs when a POL is employed.

e. For those business’ that are leasing their office spaces, installing a POL can potentially cut a company’s network-related floor space costs in half by eliminating the traditional distribution, workgroup switches and cables.

f. The cost of vendor service contracts is also dramatically lower with a POL compared with a traditional Ethernet LAN. The source of this cost advantage is simply that POL has only five Ethernet switching systems (four AXS 1800s and one core switch/router) that require network care and consume electric power, while the PMO has 80 such systems. This is due largely to POL having a fraction of the equipment elements to support as compared to the architecturally and operationally complex traditional Ethernet LAN.

g. A POL eliminates all the annual licensing fees and service fees attached to traditional distribution and workgroup switches.

g. A POL also diminishes service-associated costs as it is based on GPON technology which was designed from the ground up as a carrier-grade solution that meet the stringent requirements of an always on, always available carrier-class IP network services architecture.

a. Because GPON, the technology on which Passive Optical LANs are based, was initially designed for carriers, it is deliberately uncomplicated, with a priority on simplicity. For the enterprise, this translates to:

a1. Ease of implementation

a2. Ease of management

a3. Ease of scalability and upgrades.

a4. In every respect, a POL is simpler to run than a traditional Ethernet LAN.

b. It is much easier to design, install and run a POL than a traditional Ethernet LAN – especially in corporate campuses with multiple buildings.

b1. Fewer parts to break down.

b2. Fewer applications to be fluent in.

b3. Less maintenance because of the fewer potential points of failure

b4. Seamless scalability

a. A Passive Optical LAN is inherently more secure than an Ethernet LAN for the simple reason that optical fiber does not conduct electricity as copper does, and, electrically-based services, unfortunately, are known points of security risk. With a POL, Tempest radiation is a non-issue.

b. POL technology supports security mechanisms such as AES (advanced encryption standard) 128-bit encryption and 802.1x authentication between the EAS and every deployed WGT. And, as a technology initially designed for carriers to provide service to millions of customers in and throughout the public domain, it also includes built-in identity management (DHCP option 82).

a. POL technology is truly carrier class because it was initially deployed in carrier networks as GPON – using significantly fewer network elements than an Ethernet LAN will logically lead to fewer points of failure. The ease of implementation inherent in a POL will further mitigate any downtime related to set-up errors. To that end, a POL is very reliable, promising 99.999 percent uptime.

a. A POL is inherently greener than a copper-based Ethernet LAN for many of the same reasons that it is more cost-effective. Eliminating the need for distribution and workgroup switches means eliminating the current energy needs and corresponding carbon footprint associated with the many thousands of kilowatt hours of power and cooling systems usage on each floor of every building on campus in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

b. Unlike a traditional distribution or workgroup switch, a passive optical splitter requires no special environmental considerations and requires 0 kilowatt hours of annual energy usage and produces 0 carbon footprint during operation. In a building that employs 3200 network users, the use of a POL rather than a traditional Ethernet LAN results in a percentage power savings of about 32.8 kilowatt hours per square foot.

c. And a general reduction in necessary floor space needed for the networking of traditional distribution or work group switches and cables will lead to a reduction in general electricity costs – not just in terms of powering the equipment but in terms of providing electricity and climate control to the office space.

Passive Network’s POL solution is a highly reliable and economically disruptive enterprise LAN alternative that offers converged voice, data and video at gigabit speeds to any Ethernet end point such as end user devices, access points and wireless controllers, application servers and printers. The POL solution is ideal for campus environments, new buildings or buildings undergoing major renovations, and provides the ability to rapidly address evolving LAN requirements while dramatically simplifying the LAN and greatly reducing total life cycle costs.

 Adapted from technology used in its widely deployed gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology, Motorola’s POL solution provides a great option for enterprises investigating long-term LAN strategies and looking to drive capital and operational costs out of their IT network.

POL modernizes/future-proofs the IT infrastructure

POL is an eco-friendly solution that provides savings on power, space and cooling

POL enables lower network Total Cost of Ownership

POL provides greater security, reliability and ease of management

POL provides a converged, simplified network