scope:

This Recommendation describes the generic functional architecture of the optical media layer from the viewpoint of the propagation of optical signals and the non-associated digital overhead, in the context of a transport network, from a sender at one location to a receiver at another location. The generic functional architecture also includes the description of monitoring of signals propagating in the media network, the encoding of client digital information streams i.e., the client characteristic information (CI), and the modulation onto signals and demodulation of signals to extract the client CI.

This Recommendation provides a set of constructs (definitions and diagrammatic symbols) and the semantics that can be used to describe such a viewpoint. The modelling methodology described in [ITU-T G.800] is used with the extensions necessary to describe the optical media network.

This Recommendation describes the generic functional architecture of the optical media layer in a way that is independent of both the client CI that is transferred and the optical technology (e.g., modulation technique) used to perform the transfer.