The third edition of this Handbook provides a comprehensive, easy to use guide to the field of optical fiber data communications. Written by experts in the industry from major companies such as IBM, Cisco and Nortel, the Handbook is a key reference for optical fiber technology, networking, protocols, applications, manufacturing, and future directions. It includes chapters on all the major industry standards, written by the same experts who developed them.This edition contains new material on transceiver form factors (QSFP, SFP +, XFP, X2), manufacturing standards, including JEDEC and RoHS, as well as the latest revisions to industry standards including 8G and 10G Fiber Channel, FICON, SONET GFP/LCAS, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The book also contains new chapters on emerging technologies and leading edge applications such as silicon photonics, nanophotonics, parallel optical interconnects, specialty fiber cable types, and optical backplanes.Features include: New Case Studies on Voice/Data Convergence, Redesigning Mainframe I/O, National LambdaRail, and optical peer-to-peer networks Includes an expanded listing of references on the World Wide Web, plus hard-to-find references for international, homologation, and type approval requirements * Quick reference tables of all the key optical network parameters and a glossary that defines hundreds of technical terms and acronyms An accompanying website provides an online portal to the data communications community, containing podcasts on key topics, links to related material from technical societies, corporations and other professional organizationsWritten for engineers by engineers, this Handbook will be an indispensable, hands-on reference for optical networks and equipment developers, designers, and installers, as well as for students studying optical fiber communications wanting an understanding of, and insight into, professional practice. * New Case Studies on Voice/Data Convergence, Redesigning Mainframe I/O, National LambdaRail, and optical peer-to-peer networks Includes an expanded listing of references on the World Wide Web, plus hard-to-find references for international, homologation, and type approval requirements * Quick reference tables of all the key optical network parameters and a glossary that defines hundreds of technical terms and acronyms* An accompanying website provides an online portal to the data communications community, containing podcasts on key topics, links to related material from technical societies, corporations and other professional organizations