Effects of wavelength routing and selection algorithms onwavelength conversion gain in WDM optical networks

Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology is emerging as the transmission and switching mechanism for future optical mesh networks. In these networks it is desired that a wavelength can be routed without electrical conversions. Two technologies are possible for this purpose: wavelength selective cross-connects (WSXC) and wavelength interchanging cross-connects (WIXC), which involve wavelength conversion. It is believed that wavelength converters may improve the blocking performance, but there is a mix of results in the literature on the amount of this performance enhancement. We use two metrics to quantify the wavelength conversion gain: the reduction in blocking probability and the increase in maximum utilization, compared to a network without converters. We study the effects of wavelength routing and selection algorithms on these measures for mesh networks. We use the overflow model to analyze the blocking probability for wavelength-selective (WS) mesh networks using the first-fit wavelength assignment algorithm. We propose a dynamic routing and wavelength selection algorithm, the least-loaded routing (LLR) algorithm, which jointly selects the least-loaded route-wavelength pair. In networks both with and without wavelength converters the LLR algorithm achieves much better blocking performance compared to the fixed shortest path routing algorithm. The LLR produces larger wavelength conversion gains; however, these large gains are not realized in sufficiently wide utilization regions and are diminished with the increased number of fibers     

波分复用波长路由节点的阻塞特性分析

利用概率统计理论的方法，从节点层次上定量分析了节点规模、复用波长数目以及波长转换对波分复用(WDM)波长路由网络中波长路由节点的影响。提出了基于概率统计的节点阻塞模型。数值结果突出表明波长转换能力越强的全光节点，其性能越优。为了提高网络资源的使用效率并增强全光网络的灵活性，必须实现全光网络中的虚波长路由波长转换器。通过数值计算找到了阻塞性能和代价的折中，研究中发现配置较低波长转换能力波长转换器的波长路由节点将会具备更强的性价比优势，当前在构建光通信系统时使用弱波长转换能力的光节点更可行。     

Adaptive alternate routing in WDM networks and its performance tradeoffs in the presence of wavelength converters

Routing in wavelength-routed all-optical WDM networks has received much attention in the past decade, for which fixed and dynamic routing methods have been proposed. Taking into account the observation that wavelength-routed all-optical WDM networks are similar to circuit-switched voice networks, except with regard to wavelength conversion, we propose an adaptive alternate routing (AAR) scheme for wavelength-routed all-optical WDM networks. A major benefit of AAR is that it can operate and adapt without requiring an exchange of network status, i.e., it is an information-less adaptive routing scheme. The scope of this work is to understand this scheme in its own right since no other dynamic routing schemes are known to have the information-less property. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of AAR with regard to factors such as the number of converters, load conditions, traffic patterns, network topologies, and the number of alternate paths considered. We observe that the routing scheme with multiple alternate routes provides more gain at a lower load instead of requiring any nodes to be equipped with wavelength converters. On the other hand, the availability of wavelength converters at some nodes, along with adaptive routing, is beneficial at a moderate to high load without requiring all nodes to be equipped with wavelength converters. We also observed that a small number of alternate routes considered in a network without wavelength converters gives a much better performance than a network with full wavelength converters and fewer alternate routes. Throughout this study, we observed that the proposed adaptive alternate routing scheme adapts well to the network traffic condition.     

Wavelength converter placement under different RWA algorithms in wavelength-routed all-optical networks

Sparse wavelength conversion and appropriate routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithms are the two key factors in improving the blocking performance in wavelength-routed all-optical networks. It has been shown that the optimal placement of a limited number of wavelength converters in an arbitrary mesh network is an NP-complete problem. There have been various heuristic algorithms proposed in the literature, in which most of them assume that a static routing and random-wavelength assignment RWA algorithm is employed. However, the existing work shows that fixed-alternate routing and dynamic routing RWA algorithms can achieve much better blocking performance. Our study further demonstrates that the wavelength converter placement and RWA algorithms are closely related in the sense that a well-designed wavelength converter placement mechanism for a particular RWA algorithm might not work well with a different RWA algorithm. Therefore, the wavelength converter placement and the RWA have to be considered jointly. The objective of this paper is to investigate the wavelength converter placement problem under the fixed-alternate routing (FAR) algorithm and least-loaded routing (LLR) algorithm. Under the FAR algorithm, we propose a heuristic algorithm called minimum blocking probability first for wavelength converter placement. Under the LLR algorithm, we propose another heuristic algorithm called weighted maximum segment length. The objective of the converter placement algorithms is to minimize the overall blocking probability. Extensive simulation studies have been carried out over three typical mesh networks, including the 14-node NSFNET, 19-node EON, and 38-node CTNET. We observe that the proposed algorithms not only outperform existing wavelength converter placement algorithms by a large margin, but they also can achieve almost the same performance compared with full wavelength conversion under the same RWA algorithm.     

A Virtual Wavelength Translation Scheme for Routing in All-Optical Networks

This paper considers wavelength routed WDM networks where multiple fibers are used for each communication link. For such networks, the effect of wavelength translation can be achieved without explicit use of wavelength translators. We call this as virtual wavelength translation and study the routing issues considering dynamic lightpath allocation. Using multiple (or a bundle of) fibers for each link also allows us to have bundles of varying sizes to accommodate anticipated differences in traffic through different communication links of the network. The paper considers the blocking probabilities of all-optical networks when centralized and distributed lightpath allocation schemes are used.     

All-optical networks with sparse wavelength conversion

Unlike broadcast-and-select networks, wavelength-routing networks offer the advantages of wavelength reuse and scalability and are thus suitable for wide-area networks (WANs) We study the effects of topological connectivity and wavelength conversion in circuit-switched all-optical wavelength-routing networks. A blocking analysis of such networks is given. We first propose an analytical framework for accurate analysis of networks with arbitrary topology. We then introduce a model for networks with a variable number of converters and analyze the effect of wavelength converter density on the blocking probability. This framework is applied to three regular network topologies that have varying levels of connectivity: the ring, the mesh-torus, and the hypercube. The results show that either a relatively small number of converters is sufficient for a certain level of performance or that conversion does not offer a significant advantage. The benefits of conversion are largely dependent on the network load, the number of available wavelengths, and the connectivity of the network. Finally, the tradeoff between physical connectivity, wavelength conversion, and the number of available wavelengths is studied through networks with random topologies     

Design-dimensioning model for transparent WDM packet-switchedirregular networks

A detailed analytical traffic model for all-optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) photonic packet-switched networks is presented and the requirements for buffer size and link dimensions are analyzed. This paper shows that due to the topology, packets may generate traffic bottlenecks produced by a tendency of the routing scheme to send packets with different destinations through preferred paths. This effect increases the traffic load and, hence, the probability of blocking at the output links of specific routers in the network and, therefore, a large buffer depth or an increment in the number of fibers per link is required. Three router architectures are analyzed and it is shown that WDM all-optical router architectures with shared contention resolution resources are the best candidates to reduce hardware volume and cost of all-optical networks. It is shown that routers with a bank of completely shared wavelength converters (WCs) require a fraction of WCs compared to router architectures that use a WC per wavelength. This fraction depends on the location of the router, the network topology, and the traffic load in the network. However, in general terms, about 50% to 90% of WCs can be saved by architectures with shared wavelength-conversion resources. Also, it is shown that limited wavelength conversion degrees d=8 and d=10 in packet-switching routers with 16 and 32 wavelengths give the same probability of packet loss performance as full wavelength conversion     

Routing framework for all-optical DWDM metro and long-haul transport networks with sparse wavelength conversion capabilities

In this paper, we propose a novel routing framework for all-optical dense wavelength-division-multiplexing transport networks with sparse wavelength conversion capabilities. The routing framework includes an integer linear programming formulation to handle the static lightpath establishment problem and a novel open shortest path first protocol extension that advertises the availability of wavelength usage and wavelength conversion resources. Our routing framework addresses the limitations of the extensions presented in the literature because it also includes: 1) an efficient flooding protocol that is suitable for the dynamic nature of these networks and 2) an efficient route and wavelength computation engine that minimizes connection costs without hindering the blocking probability.     

备用路由下一种新的WDM动态路由波长分配算法

基于波长转换度的空闲波长图模型,提出了一种用于WDM光网络在备选路由下的动态RWA算法。路由选择采用K条最短路径算法进行,备选路由集中首选最佳路由时考虑链路的代价、跳数和每一个链路上不可用波长数。通过计算机模拟,分析这3个参数对网络的阻塞率的影响,结果表明本算法中所选定研究的3个参数中选定路由的不可用波长数对网络阻塞率的影响程度比通道的代价,跳数对网络的影响程度大,这个结论对算法中这3个参数数值的选取提供了依据,使算法能够依据实际网络情况动态选取参数,降低网络阻塞率。     

Heuristic algorithm for allocation of wavelength convertible nodesand routing coordination in all-optical networks

It is true that in all-optical networks, network performance can be improved by wavelength conversion. However, the switching node with wavelength conversion capability is still costly, and the number of such nodes should he limited in the network. In this paper, a performance optimization problem is treated in all-optical networks. We propose a heuristic algorithm to minimize an overall blocking probability by properly allocating a limited number of nodes with wavelength conversion capability. The routing strategy is also considered suitable to the case where the number of wavelength convertible nodes are limited. We validate the minimization level of our heuristic algorithm through numerical examples, and show that our algorithm can properly allocate nodes with conversion and decide routes for performance optimization     

Performance Analysis of Multi-Fiber WDM Network with Limited-Range Wavelength Conversion

Wavelength routed optical networks have emerged as a technology that can effectively utilize the enormous bandwidth of the optical fiber. Wavelength conversion technology and wavelength converters play an important role in enhancing fiber utilization and in reducing the overall call blocking probability of the network. In this paper, we develop a new analytical model to calculate the average blocking probability in multi-fiber link networks using limited range wavelength conversion. Based on the results obtained, we conclude that the proposed analytical model is simple and yet can effectively analyze the impact of wavelength conversion ranges and number of fibers on network performance. Also a new heuristic approach for placement of wavelength converters to reduce blocking probabilities is explored. Finally, we analyze network performance with the proposed scheme. It can be observed from numerical simulations that limited range converters placed at a few nodes can provide almost the same blocking probability as full range wavelength converters placed at all the nodes. We also show that being equipped with a multi-fiber per-link has the same effect as being equipped with the capability of limited range wavelength conversion. So a multi-fiber per-link network using limited range wavelength conversion has similar blocking performance as a full wavelength convertible network. Since a multi-fiber network using limited range wavelength conversion could use fewer converters than a single-fiber network using limited range wavelength conversion and because wavelength converters are today more expensive than fiber equipment, a multi-fiber network in condition with limited range wavelength conversion is less costly than a single fiber network using only limited range wavelength conversion. Thus, multi-fiber per-link network using limited range wavelength conversion is currently a more practical method for all optical WDM networks. Simulation studies carried out on a 14-node NSFNET, a 10-node CERNET (China Education and Research Network), and a 9-node regular mesh network validate the analysis.     

Performance analysis of multi-fiber WDM network with limited-range wavelength conversion

Wavelength routed optical networks have emerged as a technology that can effectively utilize the enormous bandwidth of the optical fiber. Wavelength conversion technology and wavelength converters play an important role in enhancing fiber utilization and in reducing the overall call blocking probability of the network. In this paper, we develop a new analytical model to calculate the average blocking probability in multi-fiber link networks using limited-range wavelength conversion. Based on the results obtained, we conclude that the proposed analytical model is simple and yet can effectively analyze the impact of wavelength conversion ranges and number of fibers on network performance. Also a new heuristic approach for placement of wavelength converters to reduce blocking probabilities is explored. Finally, we analyze network performance with the proposed scheme. It can be observed from numerical simulations that limited-range converters placed at a few nodes can provide almost the same blocking probability as full range wavelength converters placed at all the nodes. We also show that being equipped with a multi-fiber per-link has the same effect as being equipped with the capability of limited-range wavelength conversion. So a multi-fiber per-link network using limited-range wavelength conversion has similar blocking performance as a full wavelength convertible network. Since a multi-fiber network using limited-range wavelength conversion could use fewer converters than a single-fiber network using limited range wavelength conversion and because wavelength converters are today more expensive than fiber equipment, a multi-fiber network in condition with limited-range wavelength conversion is less costly than a single-fiber network using only limited-range wavelength conversion. Thus, multi-fiber per-link network using limited-range wavelength conversion is currently a more practical method for all optical WDM networks. Simulation studies carried out on a 14-node NSFNET, a 10-node CERNET (China Education and Research Network), and a 9-node regular mesh network validate the analysis.     

All-optical wavelength conversion: technologies and applications inDWDM networks

Dense WDM technologies make effective use of the vast fiber bandwidth and offer an added dimension to all-optical networks. Wavelength conversion at key network nodes is emerging as a fundamental functionality that can allow transparent interoperability, contention resolution, wavelength routing, and, in general, better utilization of the network resources under dynamic traffic patterns. We offer an overview of the enabling technologies and extend the treatment to the network application of these converters. Attention is given to semiconductor optical amplifiers and their use in wavelength converters. Converters based on four-wave mixing as well as those based on nonlinear optical loop mirrors are evaluated, paying special attention to signal integrity and architectural as well as performance issues. The use of wavelength converters in wavelength routing networks is explored together with the application of these devices in contention resolution and in the routing wavelength assignment problem. Future directions are outlined at the system as well as network levels     

Dynamic routing and wavelength assignment in the presence of wavelength conversion for all-optical networks

Blocking probability has been one of the key performance indexes in the design of wavelength-routed all-optical WDM networks. Existing research has demonstrated that an effective Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) algorithm and wavelength conversion are two primary vehicles for improving the blocking performance. However, these two issues have largely been investigated separately; in particular the existing RWA algorithms have seldom considered the presence of wavelength conversion. In this paper, we firstly demonstrate that the existing dynamic RWA algorithms do not work well in the presence of wavelength conversion as they usually only take into account the current traffic, and do not explicitly consider the route lengths. We then propose a weighted least-congestion routing and first-fit wavelength assignment (WLCR-FF) algorithm that considers both the current traffic load and the route lengths jointly. We further introduce an analytical model that can evaluate the blocking performance for WLCR algorithm. We carry out extensive numerical studies over typical topologies including ring, mesh-torus, and the 14-node NSFNET; and compare the performance of WLCR-FF with a wide variety of existing routing algorithms including static routing, fixed-alternate routing and least-loaded routing. The results conclusively demonstrate that the proposed WLCR-FF algorithm can achieve much better blocking performance in the presence of sparse or/and full wavelength conversion.     

On trading wavelengths with fibers: a cost-performance based study

We consider the effect of multiple fibers on wavelength division multiplexing networks without wavelength conversion. We study networks with dynamic wavelength routing and develop accurate analytical models to compare various possible options using single- and multiple-fiber networks. We use results of an analytical model and simulation-based studies to evaluate the blocking performance and cost of multifiber networks. The number of fibers required providing high performance in multifiber networks and their costs are compared. A case is made for using multiple fibers in each link with fewer wavelengths instead of using a single fiber with many wavelengths. In particular, we show that a network with four fibers per link and with four wavelengths on each fiber without any wavelength conversion on any node yields similar same performance as the networks with one fiber per link and 16 wavelengths per fiber on each link and with full wavelength conversion capability on all nodes. In addition, the multifiber network may also offer the cost advantage depending on the relative cost of components. We develop a parametric cost model to show that multiple fibers in each link are an attractive option. Finally, such multifiber networks also has fault tolerance, with respect to a single fiber failure, already built into the system.     

Adaptive wavelength routing in all-optical networks

We consider routing and wavelength assignment in wavelength-routed all-optical networks (WAN) with circuit switching. The conventional approaches to address this issue consider the two aspects of the problem disjointly by first finding a route from a predetermined set of candidate paths and then searching for an appropriate wavelength assignment. We adopt a more general approach in which we consider all paths between a source-destination (s-d) pair and incorporate network state information into the routing decision. This approach performs routing and wavelength assignment jointly and adaptively, and outperforms fixed routing techniques. We present adaptive routing and wavelength assignment algorithms and evaluate their blocking performance. We obtain an analytical technique to compute approximate blocking probabilities for networks employing fixed and alternate routing. The analysis can also accommodate networks with multiple fibers per link. The blocking performance of the proposed adaptive routing algorithms are compared along with their computational complexity     

Link-State-Based Algorithms for Dynamic Routing in All-Optical Networks with Ring Topologies

The increased usage of large bandwidth in optical networks raises the problems of efficient routing to allow these networks to deliver fast data transmission with low blocking probabilities. Due to limited optical buffering in optical switches and constraints of high switching speeds, data transmitted over optical networks must be routed without waiting queues along a path from source to destination. Moreover, in optical networks deprived of wavelength converters, it is necessary for each established path to transfer data from source to destination by using only one wavelength. To solve this NP-hard problem, many algorithms have been proposed for dynamic optical routing like Fixed-Paths Least Congested (FPLC) routing or Least Loaded Path Routing (LLR). This paper proposes two heuristic algorithms based on former algorithms to improve network throughput and reduce blocking probabilities of data transmitted in all-optical networks with regard to connection costs. We also introduce new criteria to estimate network congestion and choose better routing paths. Experimental results in ring networks show that both new algorithms achieve promising performance.     

An architecture for a wavelength-interchanging cross-connectutilizing parametric wavelength converters

This paper proposes an architecture for a wavelength-interchanging cross-connect (WIXC) that can be used as a switching node of strictly transparent and scalable networks with all-optical routing and all-optical wavelength conversion capabilities. This architecture utilizes all-optical parametric wavelength converters based on difference-frequency-generation (DFG) or four-wave mixing (FWM), although this work focuses only on the implementation using difference-frequency-generation wavelength converters. The proposed WIXC architecture exploits the unique wavelength mapping properties of parametric wavelength converters: mirror image mapping and simultaneous multichannel wavelength conversion. The derivation of this architecture involves application of a space/wavelength transformation to the classical Benes switch fabric. The connection setup for the resulting architecture follows the well established looping algorithm, and the architecture is scalable in both the ports and the wavelengths. The scaling occurs in an orderly fashion, which allows modular upgrades of WIXC's for cost-effective evolution of the networks. The unique properties of the parametric wavelength converter including transparent and multichannel conversion capabilities result in a WIXC architecture that requires fewer wavelength converters while maintaining scalability and transparency     

Wavelength Conversion Placement in WDM Mesh Optical Networks*

Wavelength conversion helps improve the performance of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks that employ wavelength routing. In this paper, we address the problem of optimally placing a limited number of wavelength converters in mesh topologies. Two objective functions, namely, minimizing the average blocking probability and minimizing the maximum blocking probability over all routes, are considered. In the first part of the paper, we extend an earlier analytical model to compute the blocking probability on an arbitrary route in a mesh topology, given the traffic and locations of converters. We then propose heuristic algorithms to place wavelength converters, and evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristics using the analytical model. Results suggest that simple heuristics are sufficient to give near-optimal performance.     

WRON中基于波长相关性的波长分配算法

基于节约网络资源和降低网络的阻塞率和波长分配代价的思想,在WRON网络的动态路由波长分配算法中考虑波长相关性.根据波长之间转换度变化,详细定义波长转换器的可转换波长之间的波长转换度,并定义了一个利用二进制数表示的空闲波长指示参数,利用该参数对链路上的空闲波长进行表示,用蚁群系统的蚁群波长信息素更新的计算公式来更新这个指示参数,简化波长分配的过程.通过仿真,证明本算法能够达到节约波长资源,降低网络的阻塞率和波长分配代价的目的.