A practical overview of synchronization status messaging and its applicability to SONET networks

The paper discusses synchronization status messaging and its applicability to SONET networks. The synchronization status messaging formats and requirements are first described from a standards perspective. The application of synchronization status messaging to SONET linear and ring architectures is then explained through step by step examples. The interworking between nonmessaging and messaging equipment is examined and special attention is paid towards the synchronization message provisioning for nonstratified clocks. A number of synchronization network management issues pertaining to this new messaging function are discussed. As a conclusion, the key advantages of synchronization status messaging and future trends in network synchronization are discussed.<
>