Introduction to POL (Part 3)

The decreased operations and maintenance associated with a passive optical LAN is one of the most significant values offered by the technology. By centralizing the administration of the infrastructure, an enterprise can realize dramatic savings relative to the present mode of operation where a technician is dispatched on a move, add, or change. In this case the copper cabling between the end user and the core network may need to be re-configured, checked for troubles, re-cross-connected, or perhaps repaired in order to connect the end user to a workgroup switch. Furthermore, any changes to the end user's workgroup switch port must be performed by skilled network engineers who require extensive training on the operation of legacy active switches.

In a POL environment, the adminstration is typically via an intuitive graphical user interface with a straight-forward set of menus and templates which can be applied to the ONT. Consequently, moves, adds, and changes to the network are a breeze and can be performed by Tier 1 service desk personnel with minimal training.

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