Abstract
The integration of Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs) with wireless worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) is an approved solution for an access network. A resilient packet ring (RPR) is a good candidate for a metro network. Hence RPR, EPON, and WiMAX integration is a viable solution for metro-access network bridging. The present paper examines such integration, including an architecture and a joint media access control (MAC) protocol, as a solution for both access and metro networks. The proposed architecture is reliable due to the dependability of the RPR standard and the protection mechanism employed in the EPON. Moreover, the architecture contains a high fault tolerance against node and connection failure. The suggested MAC protocol includes a multi-level dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm, a distributed admission control, a scheduler, and a routing algorithm. This MAC protocol aims at maximizing the advantages of the proposed architecture by distributing its functionalities over different parts of the architecture and jointly executing the parts of the MAC protocol.