
250 Networking Explained, Second Edition
SDH has its roots in an early transport mechanism called plesiochronous digital hier-
archy (PDH). (Note: The word “plesiochronous” means “partially synchronized.”) PDH is
similar to STM in that both use time-division multiplexing. The difference is STM is
applied to T-carrier circuits (e.g., T1 and T3), and PDH is applied to E-carrier circuits
(e.g., E-1 and E-3). Aside from some minor differences, SDH is essentially the same as
SONET, and at OC-3 rates and higher, the two are virtually identical.
16. Besides the physical layer, what is involved in transmitting data across a WAN?
The single, most important ...