DWDM - CWDM Installation on 6500

[fernanrl]

Hi,

I am completely new to Optical Networking I would like to know if someone

knows of links to design, install and configure DWDM

and CWDM on a Catalysts Cisco 6500.

Thanks a lot,

Fernando

[Marvin Rhoads]

The 6500 (or it's optical twin - the 7600) is not rerally a full-fledged DWDM / CWDM platform. It's an Ethernet aggregation platform that has some opticla shoehorned in (in my opinion). Cisco's pure optical portfolio (e.g., ONS 15454) offers more optical options.

Begging the question - what is it you are trying to do? Let's hear your needs before discussing solutions.

Hope this helps. Please rate helpful posts.

[fernanrl]

Hi,

What I have is a massive campus with a few locations moving big amounts of data. Since each of them has a 6500 I want to connect them all in a ring using CWDM or DWDM (prefered).

What do I need to get and what do I need to do in order to have this up and running?

Kindest regards,

Fernando

[khollasc]

Fernando,

CWDM and DWDM GBICs, SFPs,and 10G Xenpaks are perfectly viable options for building simple, low cost xWDM networks, without the requirement for more costly transponder based solutions.

As far as 'configuration', there really is none on the Cat6500. You plug in the GBIC and turn on the interface. The actual multiplexing and transport of the wavelengths still occurs outside of the 6500 using either CWDM passive optics, 15216 FlexLayer DWDM passive optics, or the full featured 15454 Multi-Service Transport Platform.

Check out these links:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps5455/products_data_sheet0900aecd8029d01b.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/optical/ps1996/products_user_guide_book09186a008031619c.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/optical/ps2006/ps5320/index.html

Kyle

[fernanrl]

Hi Kyle,

Thanks a lot for your info. As I say all I want is to be able to "ring" 4 or 5 6500 with DWDM in the simplest way. I may be mistaken, but from your first link I take that I would just plug the fiber cable into the passive CWDM passive devices and then create the ring between these devices without any further configuration. Is this true? Thanks,

Fernando

[khollasc]

That's it. The CWDM-MUX-8A gives you 8 channels of CWDM. You just then plug the CWDM GBIC or SFP into its channel ports (TX and RX) and connect the trunk/common ports of the mux's together around the campus (you'll need one mux east, one mux west, you also need a CWDM chassis, little 1 RU piece of sheet metal, to plug the mux into). Since the CWDM mux is passive, there is no configuration, just the 6500 normal config. Hope this helps.

[fernanrl]

Hi,

Thanks in the first place. So then, what is the speed I can achieve by plugin just one GBIC per switch? Lets say that I install a GBIC CWDM-GBIC-1470= in every 5 of the 6500 and then I connect every one of them to a passive CWDM passive device. Cant they speak and listen at any time? If I want to use more bandwith and make sure all of them talk and listen to each other, then I would have to install, for instance, two GBICS in every device? For example, one GBIC CWDM-OADM1-1470= and another CWDM-OADM1-1530=?

If I wanted to use the whole espectrum of CWDM then I would have to install 8 GBICS in each switch?

Thanks in advance for the help. Regards,

Fernando

[khollasc]

You've got it. Its just as if you had 8 pair of dark fiber. You plug in a GBIC, you get a Gig. keep in mind to make a ring, you need two of everything, one in each direction.

[Marvin Rhoads]

Given that the installation is a massive campus, I would recommend analyzing the cost-benefit of multiplexing wavelengths (CWDM/DWDM) vs. simply using separate fibers - potentially sticking with multimode. If you are installing fiber, the incremental cost for additional strands may be less than the cost of introducing single mode fiber and xWDM components.

Hope this helps, please rate helpful posts.

[fernanrl]

Hi,

Thanks for the tip, but the customer WANTS to use CWDM or DWDM (prefered by customer...political decition). CWDM would be the cheapest option (for what I see, using just the GBICs and the CWDM passive devices). What about using DWDM? What would be the cheapest options for it?

Kindest regards and thanks for your help,

Fernando

[fernanrl]

Sorry for the trouble, but even though you guys have answered must of my questions there are still a few things I dont understand.

Scenario: 4 Catalysts in a massive campus that HAVE to be connected using either CWDM or DWDM. I want to be able to connect them using the maximum bandwitdh available( 8 Gbics per 6500 or n x 10 Gbics per 6500). I prefer to use passive devices in either configuration to create the CWDM / DWDM ring.

Now lets say I make a 8 Gbps Etherchannel in every switch and want ALL of the switches to be able to communicate with each other. How?

The problem I see is that if I use the CWDM-MUX8A=, I can connect the 8Gbics from every catalyst. However, every GBIC will use a different wavelength? If so, will the 8Gb etherchannel work properly? Also, the CWDM-MUX8A= only has 1 port for the network and I need 2 to make the ring. Is there any other product for this? What is the maximum bandwitdh that I will be able to create in the ring and how much bandwith am I taking by using 8 Gb per switch?

Now, lets say I want to create the same sort of scenario but with DWDM. What are the products for the same purpose?

Sorry for the long message. I am reading a lot lately about CWDM and DWDM. Theory is fine, the "only" problem is when I try to figur all out to put it into practice.

Kindest regards,

Fernando

[khollasc · Accepted solution]

Etherchannel will work fine over different CWDM wavelengths, no problem. For a ring, yo need two CWDM-MUX-8A - one in each direction. For DWDM, everything is identical, except that you use the 15216 FlexLayer components, and DWDM GBICs.