Preface to the Second Edition Since the first edition of this book appeared in February 1998, we have witnessed a dramatic explosion in optical networking. Optical networking used to be confined to a fairly small community of researchers and engineers but is now of great interest to a broad audience including students; engineers in optical component, equipment, and service provider companies; network planners; investors; venture capitalists; and industry and investment analysts. With the rapid pace in technological advances and the widespread deployment of optical networks over the past three years, the need for a second edition of this book became apparent. In this edition we have attempted to include the latest advances in optical networks and their underlying technologies. We have also tried to make the book more accessible to a broader community of people interested in learning about