- Preface
- Cisco NCS Documentation Roadmap
- New and Changed Information
- Setting Up Optical Service Channel Cards
- Provisioning Optical Amplifier Cards
- Provisioning Multiplexer and Demultiplexer Cards
- Setting Up Tunable Dispersion Compensating Units
- Provisioning Protection Switching Module
- Provisioning Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Cards
- Provisioning Transponder and Muxponder Cards
- Configuring GE_XP, 10GE_XP, GE_XPE, and 10GE_XPE Cards Using PCLI
- Pseudo Command Line Interface Reference
- Card Features
- Card Specifications
- Administrative and Service States
- SNMP
- CTC Enhancements, Operations, and Shortcuts
- Network Element Defaults
- Index
- Port-level LEDs
- Port-level LEDs on the TXP_MR_10G and MXP_2.5G_10G Cards
- Port-level LEDs on the TXPP_MR_2.5G Card
- Port-level LEDs on the GE_XP, 10DME and 40G Cards
- Port-level LEDs on the MXP_MR_2.5G and MXPP_MR_2.5G Cards
- Port-level LEDs on the ADM-10G and OTU2_XP Cards
- Port-level LEDs on the 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-CK-C, 100G-ME-C, 100ME-CKC Cards
- Power-level LEDs on the Control Cards
- Network-level LEDs on the Control Cards
- Ethernet Port-level LEDs on the Control Cards
- SFP LEDs on TNC and TNCE Cards
Card Features
This chapter describes features common to the Cisco NCS suite of cards.
![]() Note | The cards described in this chapter are supported on the Cisco NCS 2002 and Cisco NCS 2006 platforms, unless noted otherwise. |
![]() Note | In this chapter, “RAMAN-CTP” refers to the 15454-M-RAMAN-CTP card. “RAMAN-COP” refers to the 15454-M-RAMAN-COP card. |
![]() Note | In this chapter, “100G-LC-C card” refers to the 15454-M-100G-LC-C card. “10x10G-LC” refers to the 15454-M-10x10G-LC card. “CFP-LC” refers to the 15454-M-CFP-LC card. |
- Safety Labels
- Automatic Laser Shutdown
- Card-Level Indicators
- Port-Level Indicators
- Client Interface
- DWDM Interface
- DWDM Trunk Interface
- FEC
- Timing Synchronization
- Multiplexing Function
- SONET/SDH Overhead Byte Processing
- Client Interface Monitoring
- Jitter
- Lamp Test
- NTP-G335 Performing Lamp Test
- Onboard Traffic Generation
- Performance Monitoring
- Distance Extension
- Interoperability with Cisco MDS Switches
- Client and Trunk Ports
- Automatic Power Control
- Alarms and Thresholds
- Card Protection
- Far-End Laser Control
- Jitter Considerations
- Termination Modes
Safety Labels
This section explains the significance of the safety labels attached to some cards. The faceplates of the cards are clearly labeled with warnings about the laser radiation levels. You must understand all warning labels before working on these cards.
Class 1 Laser Product Cards
The TNC, TNCE, TSC, TSCE, OSCM, OSC-CSM, 4MD-xx.x, MXP_2.5G_10G, MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, ADM-10G, GE_XP, 10GE_XP, GE_XPE, 10GE_XPE, and OTU2_XP cards are Class 1 laser products.
The labels that appear on these cards are described in the following sections.
- Class 1 Laser Product Label
- Hazard Level 1 Label
- Laser Source Connector Label
- FDA Statement Labels
- Shock Hazard Label
Class 1 Laser Product Label
The Class 1 Laser Product label is shown in the following figure.

Class 1 lasers are products whose irradiance does not exceed the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) value. Therefore, for Class 1 laser products the output power is below the level at which it is believed eye damage will occur. Exposure to the beam of a Class 1 laser will not result in eye injury and can therefore be considered safe. However, some Class 1 laser products might contain laser systems of a higher Class but there are adequate engineering control measures to ensure that access to the beam is not reasonably likely. Anyone who dismantles a Class 1 laser product that contains a higher Class laser system is potentially at risk of exposure to a hazardous laser beam.
Hazard Level 1 Label
The Hazard Level 1 label is shown in the following figure. This label is displayed on the faceplate of the cards.

The Hazard Level label warns users against exposure to laser radiation of Class 1 limits calculated in accordance with IEC60825-1 Ed.1.2.
Laser Source Connector Label
The Laser Source Connector label is shown in the following figure.

This label indicates that a laser source is present at the optical connector where the label has been placed.
FDA Statement Labels
The FDA Statement labels are shown in the following figures. These labels show compliance to FDA standards and that the hazard level classification is in accordance with IEC60825-1 Am.2 or Ed.1.2.


Shock Hazard Label
The Shock Hazard label is shown in the following figure.

This label alerts personnel to electrical hazard within the card. The potential of shock hazard exists when removing adjacent cards during maintenance, and touching exposed electrical circuitry on the card itself.
Class 1M Laser Product Cards
The OPT-PRE, OPT-BST, OPT-BST-E, OPT-AMP-17-C, OPT-AMP-C, OPT-RAMP-C, OPT-RAMP-CE, OPT-EDFA-17, OPT-EDFA-24, RAMAN-CTP, RAMAN-COP, EDRA-1-26, EDRA-1-35, EDRA-2-26, EDRA-2-35, TDC-CC, TDC-FC, PSM, 32WSS32DMX, 40-DMX-C, 40-DMX-CE, 40-MUX-C, 40-WSS-C, 40-WSS-CE, 40-WXC-C, 80-WXC-C, 16-WXC-FS, 40-SMR1-C, 40-SMR2-C, 17 SMR9 FS, 24 SMR9 FS, 34 SMR9 FS, SMR20 FS, TXP_MR_10G, TXP_MR_10E, TXP_MR_10E_C, TXP_MR_10E_L, TXP_MR_2.5G, TXPP_MR_2.5G, MXP_MR_2.5G, MXPP_MR_2.5G, MXP_MR_10DME_C, MXP_MR_10DME_L, 40E-TXP-C, 40ME-TXP-C, 40G-TXP-C, 40G-MXP-C, 40E-MXP-C, 40ME-MXP-C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, 100ME-CKC, 100GS-CK-LC, and 200G-CK-LC are Class 1M laser products.
The labels that appear on these cards are described in the following subsections.
- Class 1M Laser Product Statement
- Hazard Level 1M Label
- Laser Source Connector Label
- FDA Statement Labels
- Shock Hazard Label
- Burn Hazard Label
Class 1M Laser Product Statement
The Class 1M Laser Product statement is shown in the following figure.

Class 1M lasers are products that produce either a highly divergent beam or a large diameter beam. Therefore, only a small part of the whole laser beam can enter the eye. However, these laser products can be harmful to the eye if the beam is viewed using magnifying optical instruments.
Hazard Level 1M Label
The Hazard Level 1M label is shown in the following figure. This label is displayed on the faceplate of the cards.

The Hazard Level label warns users against exposure to laser radiation of Class 1 limits calculated in accordance with IEC60825-1 Ed.1.2.
Laser Source Connector Label
The Laser Source Connector label is shown in the following figure.

This label indicates that a laser source is present at the optical connector where the label has been placed.
FDA Statement Labels
The FDA Statement labels are shown in the following figures. These labels show compliance to FDA standards and that the hazard level classification is in accordance with IEC60825-1 Am.2 or Ed.1.2.


Shock Hazard Label
The Shock Hazard label is shown in the following figure.

This label alerts personnel to electrical hazard within the card. The potential of shock hazard exists when removing adjacent cards during maintenance, and touching exposed electrical circuitry on the card itself.
Burn Hazard Label
The burn hazard label is shown in the following figure.

This label is displayed on the RAMAN-CTP and RAMAN-COP cards. The label alerts personnel against skin exposure to radiation that may cause burns. The potential of the burn hazard exists during handling of fibers.
Automatic Laser Shutdown
The Automatic Laser Shutdown (ALS) procedure is supported on both client and trunk interfaces. On the client interface, ALS is compliant with ITU-T G.664 (6/99). On the data application and trunk interface, the switch on and off pulse duration is greater than 60 seconds and is user-configurable.
For information on ALS provisioning, refer the following procedures, as necessary:
Card-Level Indicators
- Card-level LEDs for Transponder, Muxponder and Control Cards
- Card-level LEDs on the Multiplexer, Demultiplexer and Optical Amplifier Cards
- Card-level LEDs on OSCM and OSC-CSM Cards
Card-level LEDs for Transponder, Muxponder and Control Cards
The following table lists the three card-level LEDs on the following cards:
Card-level LEDs on the Multiplexer, Demultiplexer and Optical Amplifier Cards
The following table lists the card-level LEDs on the following cards:
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40-SMR1-C, 40-SMR2-C, 17 SMR9 FS, 24 SMR9 FS, 34 SMR9 FS, and SMR20 FS
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EDRA-1-26, EDRA-1-35, EDRA-2-26, and EDRA-2-35
Card-level LEDs on OSCM and OSC-CSM Cards
Port-Level Indicators
Port-level LEDs
For the following cards, the status of the card ports is indicated on the LCD screen of the ONS 15454 fan-tray assembly that displays the number and severity of alarms for a given port or slot.
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EDRA-1-26, EDRA-1-35, EDRA-2-26, and EDRA-2-35
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40-SMR1-C, 40-SMR2-C, 17 SMR9 FS, 24 SMR9 FS, 34 SMR9 FS, and SMR20 FS
In some cards, multiple colored LEDs indicate the status of the port.
Port-Level LEDs for AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards depend on the configured card mode.
The following table lists the port-level LEDs on the following cards:
Port-level LEDs on the TXP_MR_10G and MXP_2.5G_10G Cards
Port-level LEDs on the TXPP_MR_2.5G Card
Port-level LEDs on the GE_XP, 10DME and 40G Cards
The following table lists the port-level LEDs on the following cards:
Port-level LEDs on the MXP_MR_2.5G and MXPP_MR_2.5G Cards
Port-level LEDs on the ADM-10G and OTU2_XP Cards
Port-level LEDs on the 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-CK-C, 100G-ME-C, 100ME-CKC Cards
Power-level LEDs on the Control Cards
Network-level LEDs on the Control Cards
Ethernet Port-level LEDs on the Control Cards
SFP LEDs on TNC and TNCE Cards
Client Interface
The client interface in TXP_MR_10E, TXP_MR_10E_C, TXP_MR_10E_L, and TXP_MR_10EX_C cards is implemented with a separately orderable XFP module. The module is a tri-rate transceiver, providing a single port that can be configured in the field to support an OC-192 SR-1 (Telcordia GR-253-CORE) or STM-64 I-64.1 (ITU-T G.691) optical interface, as well as 10GE LAN PHY (10GBASE-LR), 10GE WAN PHY (10GBASE-LW), 10G FC signals or IB_5G signals (TXP_MR_10EX_C only).
The client side XFP pluggable module supports LC connectors and is equipped with a 1310-nm laser.
The MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, and MXP_2.5G_10EX_C cards provide four intermediate- or short-range OC-48/STM-16 ports per card on the client side. Both SR-1 or IR-1 optics can be supported and the ports use SFP connectors. The client interfaces use four wavelengths in the 1310-nm, ITU 100-MHz-spaced, channel grid.
The client interface in AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards are implemented with a separately orderable XFP/SFP module. The module can be single-rate or tri-rate transceiver, providing a single port that can be configured in the field to support available payloads. For the list of supported payloads, see the AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE Cards section.
DWDM Interface
The MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, and MXP_2.5G_10EX_C cards serve as an OTN multiplexer, transparently mapping four OC-48 channels asynchronously to ODU1 into one 10-Gbps trunk. The tunable wavelengths for the DWDM trunk is as follows:
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MXP_2.5G_10E—Tunable for transmission over four wavelengths in the 1550-nm, ITU 100-GHz spaced channel grid.
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MXP_2.5G_10E_C and MXP_2.5G_10EX_C—Tunable for transmission over the entire C-band and the channels are spaced at 50-GHz on the ITU grid.
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MXP_2.5G_10E_L—Tunable for transmission over the entire L-band and the channels are spaced at 50-GHz on the ITU grid.
-
AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE—The wavelengths for the DWDM trunk is based on the pluggable.
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100G-LC-C, 10X10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-ME-C, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-CK-C, and 100ME-CKC—Tunable on 96 wavelength channels spaced at 50-GHz on the ITU grid over the entire C band.
Note
On the MXP_2.5G_10EX_C card, you cannot disable ITU-T G.709 on the trunk side. If ITU-T G.709 is enabled, then FEC cannot be disabled.
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DWDM Trunk Interface
On the trunk side, the TXP_MR_10E, TXP_MR_10E_C, TXP_MR_10E_L, and TXP_MR_10EX_C cards provide a 10-Gbps STM-64/OC-192 interface. There are four tunable channels available in the 1550-nm band or eight tunable channels available in the 1580-nm band on the 50-GHz ITU grid for the DWDM interface. The card provides 3R (retime, reshape, and regenerate) transponder functionality for this 10-Gbps trunk interface. Therefore, the card is suited for use in long-range amplified systems. The DWDM interface is complaint with ITU-T G.707, ITU-T G.709, and Telcordia GR-253-CORE standards.
The DWDM trunk port operates at a rate that is dependent on the input signal and the presence or absence of the ITU-T G.709 Digital Wrapper/FEC. The possible trunk rates are:
10GE (10.3125 Gbps) or 10GE into OTU2 (ITU G.sup43 11.0957 Gbps)
10G FC (10.51875 Gbps) or 10G FC into OTU2 (nonstandard 11.31764 Gbps)
(TXP_MR_10EX_C only) Proprietary rate at the trunk when the client is provisioned as IB_5G.
The maximum system reach in filterless applications without the use of optical amplification or regenerators is nominally rated at 23 dB over C-SMF fiber. This rating is not a product specification, but is given for informational purposes. It is subject to change.
On the trunk side, the AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards provide a 10-Gbps OTU2 or 2.5-Gbps OTU1 or 4-Gbps FC interfaces. The trunk wavelength can be tuned to any C-band wavelength, based on the pluggable inserted. The card provides 3R (retime, reshape, and regenerate) transponder functionality for this 10-Gbps trunk interface. Therefore, the card is suited for use in the long-range amplified systems. The DWDM interface is complaint with ITU-T G.707, ITU-T G.709, and Telcordia GR-253-CORE standards. The DWDM trunk port operates at a rate that is dependent on the input signal and the presence or absence of the ITU-T G.709 Digital Wrapper/FEC.
The maximum system reach in filterless applications without the use of optical amplification or regenerators is nominally rated at 23 dB over C-SMF fiber. This rating is not a product specification, but is given for informational purposes. It is subject to change.
FEC
Forward error correction (FEC) is a feature used for controlling errors during data transmission. This feature works by adding data redundancy to the transmitted message using an algorithm. This redundancy allows the receiver to detect and correct a limited number of errors occurring anywhere in the message, instead of having to ask the transmitter to resend the message.
- FEC Modes for the TXP_MR_10E and MXP_2.5G_10E Cards
- FEC Modes for the AR_MXP, AR_XP and AR_XPE Cards
- FEC Modes for 100G-LC-C, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, 100GS-CK-LC, and 200G-CK-LC Cards
- Client-to-Trunk Mapping
FEC Modes for the TXP_MR_10E and MXP_2.5G_10E Cards
For the TXP_MR_10E, TXP_MR_10E_C, TXP_MR_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, TXP_MR_10EX_C, or MXP_2.5G_10EX_C card, you can configure the forward error correction in three modes: NO FEC, FEC, and E-FEC modes.
The E-FEC mode has a higher level of error detection and correction than the FEC mode. As a result, using the E-FEC mode allows higher sensitivity (that is, a lower optical signal-to-noise ratio [OSNR]) with a lower bit error rate than what the FEC mode allows. The E-FEC mode also enables longer distance trunk-side transmission than what the FEC enables.
The output bit rate is always 10.7092 Gbps as defined in the ITU-T G.709 standard, but the error coding performance can be provisioned in this way:
FEC Modes for the AR_MXP, AR_XP and AR_XPE Cards
For the AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards you can configure forward error correction on 10 Gbps trunk XFP ports in four modes: NO FEC, FEC, I.4 E-FEC, and I.7 E-FEC. The 2.5Gbps SFP OTN ports have only two modes of operation: NO FEC and FEC. The output bit rate varies depending on the provisioned payload and the configured FEC. The details of the error-coding performance that can be provisioned are:
I.4 E-FEC—Standard G.975.1 I.4 two interleaved codes (RS and BCH) super FEC codes
I.7 E-FEC— Standard G.975.1 I.7 two orthogonally concatenated block (BCH) super FEC codes; this FEC scheme contains three parameterizations of a single scheme of two BCH codes, with the constructed code decoded iteratively to achieve expected performance.
NoteG.709 OTN is enabled by default for all trunk ports, except for a 4GFC transponder.
FEC Modes for 100G-LC-C, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, 100GS-CK-LC, and 200G-CK-LC Cards
The cards support multiple FEC modes on its trunk and client interfaces.
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FEC—Standard ITU-T G.975 Reed-Solomon algorithm with 7% overhead.
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I.7 FEC—Standard G.975.1 I.7 two orthogonally concatenated block (BCH) super FEC codes; this FEC scheme contains three parameterizations of a single scheme of two BCH codes, with the constructed code decoded iteratively to achieve expected performance.
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Soft Decision FEC—Employs an advanced differential encoding and cycle slip-aware algorithm offering excellent performance and robustness against high cycle slip rates. The SD-FEC is suitable for applications where maintaining sufficient signal to noise ratio is important. Examples include long haul and ultra-long haul 100G transmission, and wavelengths employing high order modulation schemes such as 16QAM.
-
High Gain FEC—High Gain FEC with 7% or 20% overhead provides better performance than the standard G.975.1. The HG-FEC is suitable for all applications where 100G wavelengths are passing through a high number of ROADM nodes, with limited pass-band performance.
Note
G.709 OTN is enabled by default for OTU payloads.
Card |
Supported FEC Modes |
---|---|
100G-LC-C |
|
CFP-LC |
|
100G-CK-C |
|
100GS-CK-LC |
|
200G-CK-LC |
Client-to-Trunk Mapping
The TXP_MR_10E, TXP_MR_10E_C, TXP_MR_10E_L, TXP_MR_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards can perform ODU2-to-OCh mapping, which allows operators to provision data payloads in a standard way across 10-Gbps optical links. Additionally, the AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards can perform ODU1-to-OCh mapping across 2.5 Gbps optical links.
Digital wrappers that define client side interfaces are called Optical Data Channel Unit 2 (ODU2) entities in ITU-T G.709. Digital wrappers that define trunk side interfaces are called Optical Channels (OCh) in ITU-T G.709. ODU2 digital wrappers can include Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (G-MPLS) signaling extensions to ITU-T G.709 (such as Least Significant Part [LSP] and Generalized Payload Identifier [G-PID] values) to define client interfaces and payload protocols.
Timing Synchronization
The TNC/TNCE/TSC/TSCE card performs all the system-timing functions for the NCS 2002 and NCS 2006 shelves.
The control card monitors the recovered clocks from each traffic card and two BITS ports for frequency accuracy. The control card selects a recovered clock, a BITS, or an internal Stratum 3 reference as the system-timing reference. You can provision any of the clock inputs as primary or secondary timing sources. A slow-reference tracking loop allows the control card to synchronize with the recovered clock, which provides holdover if the reference is lost. The control card supports 64/8K composite clock and 6.312 MHz timing output.
![]() Note | The TNC/TNCE/TSC/TSCE card supports the BITS-1 and BITS-2 external timing interfaces on the NCS 2006 shelf. The card supports the BITS-1 interface on the NCS 2002 shelf. |
The TNC/TNCE/TSC/TSCE card supports SNTP operation that allows the nodes to synchronize the system clock automatically with a reference SNTP server following system reboots, card resets, and software upgrades.
For more information on the timing function, see Timing Reference document.
The MXP_2.5G_10G card is synchronized to the the control card clock during normal conditions and transmits the ITU-T G.709 frame using this clock. The control card can operate from an external building integrated timing supply (BITS) clock, an internal Stratum 3 clock, or from clock recovered from one of the four valid client clocks. If clocks from both the control cards are not available, the MXP_2.5G_10G card switches automatically (with errors, not hitless) to an internal 19.44 MHz clock that does not meet SONET clock requirements. This will result in a clock alarm.
The MXP_2.5G_10E and MXP_2.5G_10EX_C cards are synchronized to the control clock and the MXP_2.5G_10E_C and MXP_2.5G_10E_L cards are synchronized to the control card clock during normal conditions and transmits the ITU-T G.709 frame using this clock. No holdover function is implemented. If neither control clock is available, the cards switch automatically (hitless) to the first of the four valid client clocks with no time restriction as to how long it can run on this clock. The cards continue to monitor the control card. If a control card is restored to working order, the cards revert to the normal working mode of running from the control-card clock. If no valid control-card clock is available and all of the client channels become invalid, the cards wait (no valid frames processed) until the control card supplies a valid clock. In addition, the cards can select the recovered clock from one active and valid client channel and supply that clock to the control card card.
The AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards are able to transparently transport synchronization and timing information for payload enveloped within ODU-1 and ODU-2. The AR_MXP and AR_XP cards are synchronized to the control card clock during normal conditions and transmit the ITU-T G.709 frame using this clock. The AR_XPE card is synchronized to the control card clock during normal conditions and transmit the ITU-T G.709 frame using this clock. The AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards select its synchronization source between an optical line, an external synchronization input, and the internal source. The optical line can be either OCN, OTN or Ethernet based. The AR_MXP and AR_XP cards transmit the SyncE information from an incoming SyncEthernet (ITU-T G.8262 and G.8264 ESMC) signal to the node controller (TNC).
The 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-ME-C, 100G-CK-C, and 100ME-CKC cards are synchronized to TNC/TSC/TNCE/TSCE clock during normal conditions and transmits the ITU-T G.709 frame using this clock.
The 100GS-CK-LC and 200G-CK-LC cards cannot be used as a timing reference source.
![]() Note | Only one port per card can be selected as a timing reference. The OTN ports configured as clients shall not be provisionable as timing source. |
Multiplexing Function
The muxponder is an integral part of the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) network. The key function of the MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards is to multiplex 4 OC-48/STM16 signals onto one ITU-T G.709 OTU2 optical signal (DWDM transmission). The multiplexing mechanism allows the signal to be terminated at a far-end node by another similar card.
Termination mode transparency on the muxponder is configured using OTUx and ODUx OH bytes. The ITU-T G.709 specification defines OH byte formats that are used to configure, set, and monitor frame alignment, FEC mode, section monitoring, tandem connection monitoring, and termination mode transparency.
The card performs ODU to OTU multiplexing as defined in ITU-T G.709. The ODU is the framing structure and byte definition (ITU-T G.709 digital wrapper) used to define the data payload coming into one of the SONET/SDH client interfaces on the card. The term ODU1 refers to an ODU that operates at 2.5-Gbps line rate. On the card, four client interfaces can be defined using ODU1 framing structure and format by asserting an ITU-T G.709 digital wrapper.
The output of the muxponder is a single 10-Gbps DWDM trunk interface defined using OTU2. It is within the OTU2 framing structure that FEC or E-FEC information is appended to enable error checking and correction.
SONET/SDH Overhead Byte Processing
The MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-ME-C, and 100ME-CKC cards pass the incoming SONET/SDH data stream and its overhead bytes for the client signal transparently. The card can be provisioned to terminate regenerator section overhead. This is used to eliminate forwarding of unneeded layer overhead. It can help reduce the number of alarms and help isolate faults in the network.
Client Interface Monitoring
The following parameters are monitored on the MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, , 200G-CK-LC, 100G-ME-C, and 100ME-CKC cards:
The following parameters are monitored in real time mode (one second):
In case of loss of communication (LOC) at the DWDM receiver or far-end LOS, the client interface behavior is configurable. AIS can be invoked or the client signal can be squelched.
Jitter
For SONET and SDH signals, the MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE cards comply with Telcordia GR-253-CORE, ITU-T G.825, and ITU-T G.873 for jitter generation, jitter tolerance, and jitter transfer. For more information, see the Jitter Considerations.
Lamp Test
The MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C and MXP_2.5G_10E_L, MXP_2.5G_10EX_C, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, TDC-CC, TDC-FC, TNC, TNCE, TSC, TSCE, RAMAN-CTP, and RAMAN-COP cards support lamp test function activated from the ONS 15454 front panel or through CTC to ensure that all LEDs are functional.
The Lamp Test is run during the initial node turn-up, periodic maintenance routine, identification of specific cards, or LED testing.
NTP-G335 Performing Lamp Test
This procedure performs lamp test at the shelf and card levels. |
|
Onboard Traffic Generation
The MXP_2.5G_10E, MXP_2.5G_10E_C, MXP_2.5G_10E_L, and MXP_2.5G_10EX_C cards provide internal traffic generation for testing purposes according to pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS), SONET/SDH, or ITU-T G.709.
Performance Monitoring
GFP-T performance monitoring (GFP-T PM) in MXP_MR_2.5G, MXPP_MR_2.5G, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, 100G-CK-C, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-ME-C, and 100ME-CKC cards are available via remote monitoring (RMON), and trunk PM is managed according to Telcordia GR-253-CORE and ITU G.783/826. Client PM is achieved through RMON for FC and GE.
Distance Extension
In MXP_MR_2.5G and MXPP_MR_2.5G cards, buffer-to-buffer credit management scheme provides FC flow control. When this feature is enabled, a port indicates the number of frames that can be sent to it (its buffer credit), before the sender is required to stop transmitting and wait for the receipt of a “ready” indication The MXP_MR_2.5G and MXPP_MR_2.5 cards support FC credit-based flow control with a buffer-to-buffer credit extension of up to 1600 km (994.2 miles) for 1G FC and up to 800 km (497.1 miles) for 2G FC. The feature can be enabled or disabled, as necessary.
Interoperability with Cisco MDS Switches
You can provision a string (port name) for each fiber channel/FICON interface on the MXP_MR_2.5G and MXPP_MR_2.5G cards, which allows the MDS Fabric Manager to create a link association between that SAN port and a SAN port on a Cisco MDS 9000 switch.
Client and Trunk Ports
The MXP_MR_2.5G card features a 1550-nm laser for the trunk/line port and a 1310-nm or 850-nm laser (depending on the SFP) for the client ports. The card contains eight 12.5 degree downward tilt SFP modules for the client interfaces. For optical termination, each SFP uses two LC connectors, which are labeled TX and RX on the faceplate. In a MXP_MR_2.5G card, the trunk port is a dual-LC connector with a 45 degree downward angle. In a MXPP_MR_2.5G card, there are two trunk port connectors (one for working and one for protect), each a dual-LC connector with a 45-degree downward angle.
Automatic Power Control
A transient gain range of 20 to 23 dB is available to APC in order to permit other amplifiers to reach their expected set points. However, operation in this range is not continuous. At startup, the OPT-AMP-17-C card caps the gain at a maximum of 20 dB.
![]() Note | When the OPT-AMP-17-C operates as a booster amplifier, APC does not control its gain. |
Alarms and Thresholds
The following table lists the alarms and its related thresholds for the OSC-CSM card.
Card Protection
Y-Cable and Splitter Protection
Y-cable and splitter protection are two main forms of card protection that are available for TXP, MXP, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE, and Xponder (GE_XP, 10GE_XP, GE_XPE, 10GE_XPE, and OTU2_XP) cards when they are provisioned in TXP or MXP mode. Y-cable protection is provided at the client port level. Splitter protection is provided at the trunk port level.
![]() Note | GE_XP, 10GE_XP, GE_XPE, and 10GE_XPE cards use VLAN protection when they are provisioned in L2-over-DWDM mode. For more information, see the Layer 2 Over DWDM Protection. The ADM-10G card uses path protection and 1+1 protection. For more information, see the Protection section. |
- Y-Cable Protection Availability on TXP, MXP, and Xponder Cards
- Setting-up Y-Cable Protection
- Splitter Protection
Y-Cable Protection Availability on TXP, MXP, and Xponder Cards
Y-cable protection is available for the following ONS 15454 TXP, MXP, and Xponder cards:
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10x10G-LC (when in TXP-10G or MXP-10G mode)—The client ports of the 10x10G-LC cards are provisioned with OC192/STM-64, 10GE-LAN, OTU2, OTU2e, 8G FC, and 10G FC payloads.
Note
A hardware reset or a hardware failure of the active 10x10G-LC card configured in the TXP-10G or MXP-10G mode in a Y-cable configuration causes a protection switchover that may result in a traffic hit of more than 50 msec.
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CFP-LC (when in CFP-TXP mode)—The client ports of the CFP-LC cards are provisioned with 100GE payloads. This configuration uses only the CFP LR4 pluggable.
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CFP-LC (when in CFP-MXP mode)—The client ports of the CFP-LC cards are provisioned with 40GE payloads. This configuration uses only the CFP LR4 pluggable.
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100G-CK-C—The client ports of the 100G-CK-C cards are provisioned with 100GE/OTU4 payloads. This configuration uses only the CPAK-100G-LR4 pluggable.
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100GS-CK-LC and 200G-CK-LC—Y-cable protection is supported in MXP-10x10G operating mode.
Setting-up Y-Cable Protection
To set up Y-cable protection, create a Y-cable protection group for two TXP, MXP, or Xponder cards using Cisco Transport Controller (CTC). Next, connect the client ports of the two cards physically with a Y-cable. The single client signal is sent into the RX Y-cable and is split between the two TXP, MXP, or Xponder cards. The two TX signals from the client side of the TXP, MXP, or Xponder cards are combined in the TX Y-cable into a single client signal. Only the active card signal passes through as the single TX client signal. CTC automatically turns off the laser on the protect card to avoid signal interference where the Y-cable joins.
On the GE_XP, 10GE_XP, GE_XPE, 10GE_XPE, and OTU2_XP cards, the Y-cable protection mechanism is provisionable and can be set ON or OFF (OFF is the default mode).
When a signal fault is detected, the protection mechanism software automatically switches between paths. Y-cable protection also supports revertive and nonrevertive mode.
When an MXP_MR_2.5G, MXP_MR_10DME_C, MXP_MR_10DME_L, AR_MXP, AR_XP, or AR_XPE card that is provisioned with Y-cable protection is used on a storage ISL link (ESCON, FC1G, FC2G, FC4G, FICON1G, FICON2G, FICON4G, or ISC-3 1/2G), a protection switchover resets the standby port to active. This reset reinitialises the end-to-end link to avoid any link degradation caused due to loss of buffer credits during switchover and results in an end-to-end traffic hit of 15 to 20 seconds.
When using the MXP_MR_10DME_C or MXP_MR_10DME_L card, enable the fast switch feature and use it with a Cisco MDS storage switch to avoid this 15 to 20 second traffic hit. When enabling fast switch on the MXP_MR_10DME_C or MXP_MR_10DME_L card, ensure that the attached MDS switches have the buffer-to-buffer credit recovery feature enabled.
You can also use the TXP_MR_2.5G card to avoid this 15 to 20 second traffic hit. When a Y-cable protection switchover occurs, the storage ISL link does not reinitialize and results in an end-to-end traffic hit of less than 50 ms.
AR_MXP, AR_XP, and AR_XPE cards support Y-cable protection on the client ports, which are part of an unprotected card mode. The Y-cable protection is not supported for video and auto payloads.
When using the AR_MXP, AR_XP, or AR_XPE card on storage ISL link, use it with a Cisco MDS storage switch to avoid this 15 to 20 second traffic hit.
When the active AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE card is removed from the shelf, there is a traffic hit of 60 to 100 ms.
![]() Note | Y-cable connectors will not work with electrical SFPs because Y-cables are made up of optical connectors and it is not possible to physically connect them to an electrical SFP. Y-cable protection is not supported on IB_5G. |
![]() Note | There is a traffic hit of up to a of couple hundred milliseconds on the MXP_MR_2.5G and MXP_MR_10DME cards in Y-cable configuration when a fiber cut or SFP failure occurs on one of the client ports. |
![]() Note | If you create a GCC on either card of the protect group, the trunk port stays permanently active, regardless of the switch state. When you provision a GCC, you are provisioning unprotected overhead bytes. The GCC is not protected by the protect group. |
![]() Note | Loss of Signal–Payload (LOS-P) alarms, also called Incoming Payload Signal Absent alarms, can occur on a split signal if the ports are not in a Y-cable protection group. |
![]() Note | Removing an SFP from the client ports of a card in a Y-cable protection group card causes an IMPROPRMVL (PPM) alarm. The working and protected port raises the IMPROPRMVL alarm. The severity on the client ports is changed according to the protection switch state. |
![]() Note | On the OTU2_XP card, when the 10G Ethernet LAN Phy to WAN Phy conversion feature is enabled, Y-cable protection is not supported on the LAN to WAN interface (ports 1 and 3). |
![]() Note | When using fixed DWDM or tunable XFPs for Y-cable protection, the protection switch time may exceed 50 ms. The following figure shows the Y-cable signal flow. ![]() |
Splitter Protection
Splitter protection, shown in the following figure, is provided with TXPP cards, MXPP cards, and OTU2_XP cards (on trunk ports that are not part of a regenerator group). You can create and delete splitter protection groups in OTU2_XP card.
To implement splitter protection, a client injects a single signal into the client RX port. An optical splitter internal to the card then splits the signal into two separate signals and routes them to the two trunk TX ports. The two signals are transmitted over diverse optical paths. The far-end MXPP or TXPP card uses an optical switch to choose one of the two trunk RX port signals and injects it into the TX client port. When using splitter protection with two MXPP or TXPP cards, there are two different optical signals that flow over diverse paths in each direction. In case of failure, the far-end switch must choose the appropriate signal using its built-in optical switch. The triggers for a protection switch are LOS, LOF, SF, or SD.
In the splitter protected 10G Ethernet LAN Phy to WAN Phy mode, AIS-P and LOP-P acts as trigger (when G.709 is enabled) for the Protection Switch, in addition to the existing switching criteria.
In the OTU2_XP card, the STS parameters such as, SF /SD thresholds, Path PM thresholds, and Path Trace is set for the working path (Port 3). The same parameters are also applicable for the protected path (Port 4).

1+1 Protection
The 1+1 protection is available for the GE_XP, GE_XPE, 10GE_XP, and 10GE_XPE cards:
The 1+1 protection is provided in the Layer 2 (L2) card mode to protect against client port and card failure. 1+1 protection is supported in both single shelf and multishelf setup. This means that the working card can be in one shelf and the protect card can be in another shelf of a multishelf setup. Communication between the two cards is across 10 Gigabit Ethernet interconnection interface using Ethernet packets. The Inter link (ILK) trunk or internal pathcord must be provisioned on both the cards. This link is used to transmit protection switching messages and data.
![]() Note | With 1+1 protection mechanisms, the switch time of a copper SFP is 1 second. |
With 1+1 protection, ports on the protect card can be assigned to protect the corresponding ports on the working card. A working card must be paired with a protect card of the same type and number of ports. The protection takes place on the port level, and any number of ports on the protect card can be assigned to protect the corresponding ports on the working card.
To make the 1+1 protection scheme fully redundant, enable L2 protection for the entire VLAN ring. This enables Fast Automatic Protection Switch (FAPS). The VLAN configured on the 1+1 port must be configured as protected SVLAN.
1+1 protection can be either revertive or nonrevertive. With nonrevertive 1+1 protection, when a failure occurs and the signal switches from the working card to the protect card, the signal remains on the protect card until it is manually changed. Revertive 1+1 protection automatically switches the signal back to the working card when the working card comes back online. 1+1 protection uses trunk ports to send control traffic between working and protect cards. This trunk port connection is known as ILK trunk ports and can be provisioned via CTC.
The standby port can be configured to turn ON or OFF but the traffic coming to and from the standby port will be down. If the laser is ON at the standby port, the other end port (where traffic originates) will not be down in a parallel connection. Traffic is blocked on the standby port.
1+1 protection is bidirectional and nonrevertive by default; revertive switching can be provisioned using CTC.
Layer 2 Over DWDM Protection
The Layer 2 Over DWDM protection is available for the following cards:
When the card is in L2-over-DWDM card mode, protection is handled by the hardware at the Layer 1 and Layer 2 levels. Fault detection and failure propagation is communicated through the ITU-T G.709 frame overhead bytes. For protected VLANs, traffic is flooded around the 10 Gigabit Ethernet DWDM ring. To set up the Layer 2 protection, you identify a node and the card port that is to serve as the master node and port for the VLAN ring on the card view Provisioning > Protection tab. If a failure occurs, the node and port are responsible for opening and closing VLAN loops.
![]() Note | The Forced option in the Protection drop-down list converts all the SVLANs to protected SVLANs irrespective of the SVLAN protection configuration in the SVLAN database. This is applicable to a point-to-point linear topology. The SVLAN protection must be forced to move all SVLANs, including protected and unprotected SVLANs, to the protect path irrespective of provisioned SVLAN attributes. |
A FAPS switchover happens in the following failure scenarios:
Unidirectional failure in the DWDM network caused by a fiber cut
Fiber pull on the master card trunk port followed by a hard reset on the master card
An OTN failure is detected (LOS, OTUK-LOF, OTUK-LOM, OTUK-LOM, OTUK-SF, or OTUK-BDI on the DWDM receiver port in the case of ITU-T G.709 mode)
A FAPS switchover does not happen in the following scenarios:
Far-End Laser Control
The cards provide a transparent mode that accurately conveys the client input signal to the far-end client output signal. The client signal is normally carried as payload over the DWDM signals. Certain client signals, however, cannot be conveyed as payload. In particular, client LOS or LOF cannot be carried. Far-end laser control (FELC) is the ability to convey an LOS or LOF from the near-end client input to the far-end client output.
If an LOS is detected on the near-end client input, the near-end trunk sets the appropriate bytes in the OTN overhead of the DWDM line. These bytes are received by the far-end trunk, and cause the far-end client laser to be turned off. When the laser is turned off, it is said to be squelched. If the near-end LOS clears, the near-end trunk clears the appropriate bytes in the OTN overhead, the far-end detects the changed bytes, and the far-end client squelch is removed.
FELC also covers the situation in which the trunk port detects that it has an invalid signal; the client is squelched so as not to propagate the invalid signal.
Payload types with the 2R mode preclude the use of OTN overhead bytes. In 2R mode, an LOS on the client port causes the trunk laser to turn off. The far end detects the LOS on its trunk receiver and squelches the client.
FELC is not provisionable. It is always enabled when the DWDM card is in transparent termination mode. However, FELC signaling to the far-end is only possible when ITU-T G.709 is enabled on both ends of the trunk span.
Jitter Considerations
Jitter introduced by the SFPs used in the transponders and muxponders must be considered when cascading several cards. With TXP_MR_2.5G, TXPP_MR_2.5G, MXP_MR_2.5G, MXPP_MR_2.5G, TXP_MR_10E, 100G-LC-C, 10x10G-LC, CFP-LC, 100G-CK-C, 200G-CK-LC, 100G-ME-C, 100ME-CKC, AR_MXP, AR_XP, AR_XPE cards several transponders can be cascaded before the cumulative jitter violates the jitter specification. The recommended limit is 20 cards. With TXP_MR_10G cards, you can also cascade several cards, although the recommended limit is 12 cards. With MXP_2.5G_10G and MXP_2.5G_10E cards, any number of cards can be cascaded as long as the maximum reach between any two is not exceeded. This is because any time the signal is demultiplexed, the jitter is eliminated as a limiting factor.
The maximum reach between one transponder and the other must be halved if a Y cable is used. For more information on Y-cable operation, see the “Y-Cable and Splitter Protection” section on page G-24.
Termination Modes
Transponder and Muxponder cards have various SONET and SDH termination modes that can be configured using CTC. The termination modes are summarized in the following table.
All TXP, MXP, and OTU2_XP cards, with the exception of the MXP_2.5G_10G card (see next row) |
All the bytes of the payload pass transparently through the cards. |
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In line termination mode, the section and line overhead bytes for SONET and the overhead bytes for the SDH multiplex and regenerator sections are terminated. None of the overhead bytes are passed through. They are all regenerated, including the SONET SDCC and line DCC (LDCC) bytes and the SDH RS-DCC and multiplexer section DCC (MS-DCC) bytes. |
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MXP_2.5G_10G (Clients operating at the OC48/STM16 rate are multiplexed into an OC192/STM64 frame before going to OTN or DWDM.) |
All client bytes pass transparently except the following: B1 is rebuilt, S1 is rewritten, A1 to A2 are regenerated, and H1 to H3 are regenerated. |
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The SONET TOH section bytes and the SDH regenerator section overhead bytes are terminated. None of these section overhead bytes are passed through. They are all regenerated, including the SONET TOH section DCC bytes and the SDH RS-DCC bytes. In the section termination mode, the SONET TOH line and SDH multiplex section overhead bytes are passed transparently. |
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In the line termination mode, the section and line overhead bytes for SONET and the overhead bytes for the SDH multiplex and regenerators sections are terminated. None of the overhead bytes are passed through. They are all regenerated, including the SONET SDCC and LDCC bytes and the SDH RS-DCC and MS-DCC bytes. |
For TXP and MXP cards, adhere to the following conditions while DCC termination provisioning: