CRC Press eBooks
Optical CDMA Network Security
Peter A. Schulz, Thomas H. Shake
Abstract
This chapter focuses primarily on summarizing results of research on optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA) confidentiality and security. It introduces the various classes of security for the readers who may not be familiar with the field of security and encryption. The chapter discusses how the degree of security in an OCDMA network can be quantified. OCDMA may be advantageous for increasing network availability in the presence of interfering signals, because the signal is spread over many wavelengths. The most commonly used architecture for OCDMA networks is the star network. In the star network, data from all users are collected at some central point and then distributed to all users. An eavesdropper in an OCDMA network may tap signals from various locations within the network. The network designer can design some countermeasures to make the eavesdropper's job a bit more difficult. OCDMA provides security at the physical layer of a communication network.