Summary: <p>Laser-delivered Netflix and backyard data centers!</p> <p>The conversation continues with optical communications guru, Stefan Loeffler. In this episode, <a href="https://twitter.com/keysight_daniel?lang=en">Daniel Bogdanoff</a> and Mike Hoffman discuss optical infrastructure today and what the future holds for optics.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZOO5yzUXcU">Video</a> version (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/keysightoscilloscope">YouTube</a>):</p> <div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"></div> <p> </p> <p>Audio Version:</p> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-572-23" style="width: 100%;"><a href="https://eestalktech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/how-internet-is-delivered-data-centers-and-infrastructure.mp3">https://eestalktech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/how-internet-is-delivered-data-centers-and-infrastructure.mp3</a></audio> <h2><strong>Discussion Overview:</strong></h2> <h3></h3> <h3> <strong>Optical Communication Infrastructure</strong> 00:30</h3> <p>Optics = Laser-driven Netflix delivery system</p> <p><a href="https://testing100g.net/understanding-the-difference-between-the-line-side-and-the-client-side/">Client-side vs line-side</a> 1:00</p> <p>Line-side is the network that transports the signals from the supplier to the consumer</p> <p>Client-side is the equipment that is either a consumer or business, accepting the data from the network provider.</p> <p> </p> <p>Yellow cables in your wall indicate presence of fiber 1:40</p> <p>Technically, optics is communication using radiation! But it is invisible to us as humans. 2:20</p> <p> </p> <p>Getting fiber all the way to the antenna is one of the major new technologies 2:30</p> <p>But this requires you to have power at the antenna 2:45</p> <p>However, typically there is a “hotel” or base station at the bottom of the antenna where the power is and where fiber traditionally connects, instead of up to the antenna</p> <p>Really new or experimental antennas have fiber running all the way up the pole 3:28</p> <p> </p> <h3><strong>Network topologies- star, ring, and mesh 3:42</strong></h3> <p>Base stations are usually organized in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_network">star-form</a>, or a star network pattern. A star network starts at a single base station and distributes data to multiple cells</p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_network">Rings</a> (ring networks) are popular in metro infrastructure because you can encircle an entire area 4:20</p> <p>Optical rings are like traffic circles for data.</p> <p>Is ring topology the most efficient or flexible? 6:20</p> <p>An advantage of ring and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking">mesh</a> topologies is built-in resilience</p> <p>Mesh topologies have more bandwidth but require more fiber optic cable 7:10</p> <p>How often is the topology or format of a network defined by geography or regulations? 8:30</p> <p> </p> <h3><strong>How consumers get fiber 9:20</strong></h3> <p>Business or academic campuses typically utilize mesh networks on the client side, subscribing to a fiber provider</p> <p>Fiber itself or a certain bandwidth using that fiber can be leased</p> <p>If you’re a business, like a financial institution, and latency or bandwidth is critical, leasing fiber is necessary so you have control over the network 9:45</p> <p> </p> <h3><strong>What’s the limiting factor of optical? </strong></h3> <p>What are the limitations of the hardware that’s sending/receiving optical signals? 11:08</p> <p>Whatever we do in fiber, at some point, it is electrical 11:27</p> <p>There will be a tipping point where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing">quantum computing</a> and photon-computing (<a href="https://en."></a></p>
