Optical local area network emulations over Ethernet passive optical networks: A survey

As a promising solution to efficiently achieving fiber to the home (FTTH), Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) is currently improved to provide intercommunication among customers, together with normal traffic delivery, via optical local area network emulation. It is a new research direction and expected to enhance the normal EPON performances. The purpose of this article is to review the state-of-the-art solutions to emulating optical local area networks (OLANs) over EPON. We discuss the major problems involved, e.g., network architecture, control mechanisms, and other potential enhancements. We also outline areas for future researches.