Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation For Ethernet Passive Optical Networks

This chapter studies the rich feature set of the IEEE 802.3 family of standards for the control of information transfer and for supporting dynamic bandwidth allocation in Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs). We will study a medium access control protocol, known as multi-point control protocol (MPCP), which arbitrates access to the upstream channel and supports bandwidth allocation in EPON. The precise format of the MPCP messages as well as their processing will be given. The concept of threshold queue reporting will be presented, which is used by the end-user devices (ONUs) to report detailed information regarding the status of the individual queues to the network. The ranging process and automatic discovery of newly connected or off-line ONU stations will also be given.