Study on a joint multiple layer restoration scheme for IP over WDM networks

In this article we investigate the problem of a restoration scheme for IP over WDM networks. Network reliability is gaining importance with the huge volume of traffic carried by such networks. Providing survivability at the optical layer is inherently attractive, but raises many questions and challenges, given the characteristic of optical aggregated lightpath and relatively coarse traffic granularity. The emergence of MPLS and its extension, MP/spl lambda/S, opens up new possibilities for developing simple integrated protection/restoration schemes that can be coordinated at both the IP and optical layers . This article first presents an overview of existing MPLS/MP/spl lambda/S recovery mechanisms. Then we propose a joint two-layer recovery scheme for IP-centric WDM-based optical networks where the optical layer takes the recovery actions first, and subsequently the upper IP layer initiates its own recovery mechanism, if the optical layer does not restore all affected services. A simulation-based analysis shows the benefits of the proposed two-layer recovery scheme over single-layer recovery schemes. We demonstrate the advantages of finer granularity in IP layer recovery and the effectiveness in speed on the optical layer. The impact of several network parameters on recovery performance is also studied in the paper.     

Service convergence using MPLS multiservice networks

Enterprises are increasingly using virtual private networks to interconnect remote sites. Traditionally, service providers have used ATM core networks to deliver layer 2 services such as frame relay, ATM, or TDM private lines, which enterprise customers have then used to build their corporate network infrastructure. Such services account for the majority of data service revenues today. However, pressure has increased on service providers to combine increased flexibility with reduced costs in the context of a highly dynamic telecommunications market. Service providers also need to generate new revenues from their IP network infrastructure, through new opportunities such as IP VPNs and virtual private LAN services, while simultaneously achieving operational efficiencies through the convergence of all of their services on a common MPLS backbone. New access and metro network technologies, such as Ethernet, are also emerging that can be used to deliver these new services to enterprise customers alongside ATM and frame relay access. This must be achieved while also supporting existing technologies such as ATM, which continue to deliver highly profitable services. This article discusses the technical challenges in meeting the often conflicting requirements of delivering both traditional layer 2 services and new layer 3 services on a converged MPLS network. We show how both network and service interworking are required, and how these must operate at the user, control, and management planes to enable profitable services to be delivered over the new converged network. The different solutions being defined in the standards bodies are described, and the distinct scenarios they address are explained.     

IP/MPLS-Over-WDM网络的生存性

Internet的发展和数据业务的爆炸性增长对当前网络提出了更高的要求。网络将演变为IP/MPLS-over-WDM。对于这种以光网络为基础的网络构架,网络生存性问题变得尤为重要。由于以数据业务为中心的光网络至少包含IP层和光层,笔者提出了几个在多层网络生存性面临的问题,并给出了几种方案。最后,讨论了IP/MPLS--Over-WDM特有的生存性思考。     

ATM网络抗毁和自恢复技术研究

基于ATM/MPLS技术的通信网络是承载宽带多媒体业务的综合平台。为了对承载业务进行抗毁保护,对ATM的最基本的1+1、1∶1、m∶n抗毁保护结构进行了研究和总结。同时结合网络传输层,如:PDH、SDH、WDM、MPLS的保护和应用层业务,如:IP、电路交换、以太网和帧中继的抗毁迂回策略,提出了ATM的多层次抗毁自恢复组网结构,为ATM的应用研究提供了借鉴。     

IP voer WDM光网络及其生存性问题讨论

本文介绍了IP voer WDM光网络的演进过程与发展趋势；讨论了其生存性问题，包括光层生存性有关概念、分类及各自的优缺点，IP/MPLS层与WDM层联合生存机制的必要性以及这种联合机制需要解决的竞争问题=带宽资源共享问题和失效扩散问题等。     

Optimal Virtual Topology Design using Bus-Label Switched Paths

Despite an observable trend in reducing the number of layers in core and metropolitan area networks, still the optimal design of multi-layer networks (like IP over WDM) remains an important issue as a means to reduce CAPEX and OPEX. In multi-layer networks, usually a connection oriented transport network (like WDM) is used to deploy a layout for optimal transport of traffic. In today's networks, the layouts are based on point to point LSPs. We will show here that by using a novel concept named bus-LSPs, we can achieve some significant savings for the operator, both in terms of CAPEX and OPEX. We also introduce a heuristic algorithm to design optimal layouts, and provide a quantitative evaluation     

Network OAM requirements for the New York City transit network

New York City transit's subway system is one of the largest and most complex mass transportation systems in the world. Because of the extensive subway system, an extensive communications network infrastructure is needed to allow for communications of the various subway services with the control centers to support mission-critical (and safety-critical) applications. The current network utilizes multilayer network technologies, including SONET, ATM, and IP (layer 2/3 device) layer networks. As a consequence of using these various technologies, extensive challenges are faced in trying to consolidate these separate networks into a single management view, simplifying (and automating) not only the provisioning aspects but also troubleshooting/fault management aspects of the network. Such automation will help to simplify network operations and allow for better handling and management of the reliability and availability of the network. To achieve this goal, various technologies were evaluated. Consideration is being given to multiprotocol label switching technology. MPLS offers the potential to help converge to a simpler networking model. In order to achieve this, certain capabilities must be available (e.g., the ability to quickly and automatically identify defects/failures and subsequently reroute around these failures). This article discusses the operational requirements for the MPLS network from the point of view of backbone networks that support a mass transportation system operator.     

Logical topology design for IP rerouting: ASONs versus static OTNs

IP-based backbone networks are gradually moving to a network model consisting of high-speed routers that are flexibly interconnected by a mesh of light paths set up by an optical transport network that consists of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) links and optical cross-connects. In such a model, the generalized MPLS protocol suite could provide the IP centric control plane component that will be used to deliver rapid and dynamic circuit provisioning of end-to-end optical light paths between the routers. This is called an automatic switched optical (transport) network (ASON). An ASON enables reconfiguration of the logical IP topology by setting up and tearing down light paths. This allows to up- or downgrade link capacities during a router failure to the capacities needed by the new routing of the affected traffic. Such survivability against (single) IP router failures is cost-effective, as capacity to the IP layer can be provided flexibly when necessary. We present and investigate a logical topology optimization problem that minimizes the total amount or cost of the needed resources (interfaces, wavelengths, WDM line-systems, amplifiers, etc.) in both the IP and the optical layer. A novel optimization aspect in this problem is the possibility, as a result of the ASON, to reuse the physical resources (like interface cards and WDM line-systems) over the different network states (the failure-free and all the router failure scenarios). We devised a simple optimization strategy to investigate the cost of the ASON approach and compare it with other schemes that survive single router failures.     

ATM in MPLS-based converged core data networks

Services supported by asynchronous transfer mode account for the majority of data and Internet service revenues generated by carrier networks today. This is based on ATM's ability to support high availability services with quality of service. However, the influences of the Internet and a highly dynamic telecommunications market have raised demands for increased flexibility while controlling costs. Therefore, future carrier networks are likely to continue to be based on established technologies, such as ATM, as well as IP. In many cases, this is achieved through maintaining separate ATM and IP core networks, with the IP network supporting Internet services, while the ATM network continues to support guaranteed services such as private lines, broadband access, and video. In some cases, however, it can be advantageous for a carrier to transport segments of their ATM network over their IP network core; for example, to transport ATM traffic currently carried on leased facilities onto an IP network where the service provider owns the facilities. Developments in IP and MPLS-based traffic engineering and QoS may increase the ability of IP-based networks to support ATM services using MPLS. This article provides an overview of approaches enabling a network based on MPLS that naturally supports IP services to also support ATM services. The drivers and requirements for convergence on an IP/MPLS core network are presented, followed by an overview of the different approaches and associated challenges currently being debated in the standards bodies.     

LOBS技术研究

光突发交换技术(OBS)是一种新出现的光交换技术,它综合了光波长路由和光分组交换的优点。本文的LOBS又将MPLS 和OBS这两大技术结合在一起,利用MPLS强大的控制能力为OBS网络在QoS、流量工程和网络恢复等方面提供良好的支持。文章根据LOBS的基本原理,提出并详细阐述了它的网络构成和工作机制,最后指出了LOBS网络在流量工程和网络生存性方面相对其他光网络的优越性。     

Protection approaches for dynamic traffic in IP/MPLS-over-WDM networks

Due to the explosive growth of data-related traffic driven by the Internet, network reliability becomes an important issue. We investigate various protection approaches to handle failures for dynamic traffic demands in IP/MPLS-over-WDM networks. An LSP can be protected at either the IP/MPLS layer or the optical layer. In IP/MPLS layer protection, an LSP is protected by providing a link-disjoint backup LSP between its end nodes. In optical layer protection, an LSP is protected by the backup lightpath of each lightpath traversed by the LSP. We present two integrated routing algorithms: hop-based integrated routing algorithm and bandwidth-based integrated routing algorithm (BIRA) to set up the restorable bandwidth-guaranteed paths efficiently. Then we present a multilayer protection scheme for multiclass traffic in such networks. This scheme takes into account the different QoS and recovery requirements of the traffic to provide protection capability either at the MPLS layer or at the optical layer in a cost-effective manner. We use the connection blocking probability and number of optical-electrical-optical conversions as performance metrics to compare various protection approaches.     

Survivable MPLS Over Optical Transport Networks: Cost and Resource Usage Analysis

In this paper we study different options for the survivability implementation in MPLS over optical transport networks (OTN) in terms of network resource usage and configuration cost. We investigate two approaches to the survivability deployment: single layer and multilayer survivability and present various methods for spare capacity allocation (SCA) to reroute disrupted traffic. The comparative analysis shows the influence of the offered traffic granularity and the physical network structure on the survivability cost: for high bandwidth LSPs, close to the optical channel capacity, the multilayer survivability outperforms the single layer one, whereas for low bandwidth LSPs the single layer survivability is more cost-efficient. On the other hand, sparse networks of low connectivity parameter use more wavelengths for optical path routing and increase the configuration cost, as compared with dense networks. We demonstrate that by mapping efficiently the spare capacity of the MPLS layer onto the resources of the optical layer one can achieve up to 22% savings in the total configuration cost and up to 37% in the optical layer cost. Further savings (up to 9 %) in the wavelength use can be obtained with the integrated approach to network configuration over the sequential one, however, at the increase in the optimization problem complexity. These results are based on a cost model with different cost variations, and were obtained for networks targeted to a nationwide coverage     

Multilayer traffic engineering for multiservice environments

Multilayer traffic engineering (MLTE) serves to provide cross-layer online network optimization techniques to cope with rapid variations and short-term evolutions in traffic patterns. MLTE extends traffic engineering as it exists in IP/MPLS-based technology toward the multilayer IP/MPLS-over-optical transport network. In addition to the IP/MPLS traffic routing, MLTE exposes much larger adaptation flexibility by building on next-generation automatic switched optical transport networks. These offer fast setup and teardown of end-to-end multi-hop optical connections (lightpaths), which are offered to the IP/MPLS layer as dynamically provisioned capacity. This dynamic nature leads to an IP/MPLS logical topology that can be reconfigured on the fly, and IP/MPLS link capacity that can be up- or downgraded as client traffic demand varies. These MLTE techniques are generally used to increase perceived network performance in terms of throughput or QoS. As such, a MLTE-managed network offers a better than best-effort service. Many types of traditional and novel services are shifting toward IP/MPLS technology. Consequentially, MLTE algorithms and strategies should be conceived with the characteristics of such services in mind. We present a MLTE strategy that can be implemented in a robust and distributed way. This strategy is then taken as the starting point in a study which evaluates its suitability to such services. We show how the strategy can be adapted considering service performance metrics such as end-to-end delay, traffic loss, and routing stability, and how such service optimizations impact general MLTE objectives such as IP/MPLS logical topology mesh size reduction.

IP over DWDM网络的生存性研究

探讨了IP over DWDM生存性的机制，研究了各个网络层的恢复特点以及不同层间相互作用对生存性的影响，明确了多层网络生存性的优点，从而得出光层能够提供最快的保护，较高的层能够提供智能恢复。最后提出了一种在光层的自动保护倒换的结构，这种保护能够优先考虑来自较高层的告警信息，使IP over DWDM网络做到智能化的快速恢复，为IP over DWDM网络的研究和建设提供了一定基础。     

Future transport network architectures

The architecture of today's long distance transmission networks, which we call the baseline architecture, is a complex and multilayered hierarchy of TDM circuits. One premise of the baseline architecture is that restoration from network failures is provided mostly by SONET/SDH rings. This article presents an alternative architecture that uses ATM and optical layer cross-connect technology for TDM services. Using a sophisticated set of network design tools developed at AT&T Labs-Research, we show that the alternative architecture offers dramatic capital savings and improved network efficiency over the baseline architecture. Most of this savings can be attributed to use of OLXC mesh network restoration, which makes more efficient use of capacity than SONET/SDH rings, and use of ATM switching for transport of TDM circuits, which consolidates the numerous TDM equipment layers inherent to the baseline architecture. In addition, motivated by the rapid growth of IP services, we analyze in the alternative architecture whether to provide restoration for IP services in the IP layer itself, by rerouting packets over precalculated restoration paths with MPLS, or to alternatively provide restoration of failed IP layer links in the OLXC layer. One potential advantage of IP layer restoration is that network operators may choose to only restore a fraction of the services, in particular the “priority” services, affected by a network failure. This article gives some methodology of how to determine this fraction at which IP layer restoration is cost-competitive with OLXC restoration     

Cost vs. reliability performance study of fiber access network architectures

Fiber to the home is the future-proof technology for broadband access networks. Several fiber access network architectures have been developed (e.g., point-to-point, active optical network, and passive optical network). PON is considered the most promising solution due to the relatively low deployment cost and high resource efficiency. Meanwhile, because of the growing demand for reliable service delivery, fault management is becoming more significant in all parts of communications networks. However, there is a trade-off between the cost of protection and the level of service reliability. Since economical aspects are most critical in the access part of networks, improving reliability performance by duplication of network resources (and capital expenditures) could be too expensive. Therefore, recent work has focused on PON protection schemes with reduced CAPEX. The future trend will probably migrate toward minimizing operational expenditures during the access network lifetime. The main contributions of this article include providing a general method for CAPEX and OPEX analysis that can be applied to any type of fiber access network with consideration of changed component cost in time and variable take rates, and comparing the total cost (i.e., sum of CAPEX and OPEX) for the selected representative architectures with and without protection for business and residential users in relation to reliability performance. The aim is to give a guideline for the design of the most cost-effective protection schemes, while maintaining acceptable service reliability.     

智能光网中的联合路由

在IP/MPLS智能光网络中的LSP路由分为独立路由和联合路由两类。由于综合考虑了光层和IP层的可用资源信息和拓扑信息,联合路由能够提供比独立路由方案更高的资源利用率。文中提出了联合路由算法的设计目标,综述了联合路由算法的研究现状,并给出了下一步的研究方向。     

Demonstration of the highly reliable Hikari router network based on a newly developed disjoint path selection scheme

Integration of multiprotocol label switching functions and multiprotocol lambda switching functions can enhance the throughput of IP networks and remove bottlenecks that are derived from electrical packet processing. To enhance the packet forwarding capability, NTT proposed a photonic MPLS concept that includes MP/spl lambda/S, and demonstrated IP, MPLS, and photonic MPLS integrated router systems called the photonic MPLS router. This router system is now called the Hikari router. The word Hikari is Japanese meaning beam, light, lightwave, optical, photonic, and sunshine. The amount of IP data traffic has grown remarkably. Massive IP routers and flexible route control mechanisms are now required to cope with the increased amount of traffic. The Hikari router can offer two solutions utilizing photonic switching technologies, and photonic network operation and management technologies. The first solution is utilizing photonic switching technologies realized using optical-switch-based crossconnect systems. The other solution is realized using the MPLS and MP/spl lambda/S signaling protocol and photonic network protection functions. In this article we report on the implementation of the Hikari router systems, propose a newly developed disjoint path selection scheme for generalized MPLS networks with shared risk link group constraints, and demonstrate the signaling protocol and network protection functions. The demonstration system achieves a distributed optical path set-up/tear-down protocol with an extended constraint-based routing label distribution protocol. Fast self-healing through automatic protection switching and a new restoration scheme are also implemented. These functions are successfully implemented, and the performance is verified on a demonstration network. The protection switching scheme achieves protection in less than 20 ms, and the optical path restoration scheme achieves restoration in less than 500 ms.     

MPLS网络的自愈恢复技术

网络可靠性已经成为IP网的一个重要问题。目前关于IP网可靠性的讨论集中于多协议标记交换(MPLS)的故障恢复机制。在MPLS网络中的任何资源都有可能发生故障,要想提供一个高可用性的网络,网络提供商必须能够预料并且解决这些可能发生的故障。MPLS自愈恢复是MPLS流量工程的一种重要应用特性。自愈恢复能力对于提高MPLS网络的可用性和稳定性具有关键意义。本文首先介绍了MPLS网络的自愈恢复特性,并着重对目前ITU-T、ITEF推荐的几种MPLS故障检测、保护恢复技术进行深入介绍和对比分析。     

Optimized design of survivable MPLS over optical transport networks

In this paper we study different options for the survivability implementation in MPLS over Optical Transport Networks (OTNs) in terms of network resource usage and configuration cost. We investigate two approaches to the survivability deployment: single-layer survivability, where some recovery mechanism (e.g. protection or restoration) is implemented in a single network layer and multilayer survivability, where recovery is implemented in multiple network layers. The survivable MPLS over OTN design is implemented as a static network optimization problem and incorporates various methods for spare capacity allocation (SCA) to reroute disrupted traffic.The comparative analysis between the single layer and the multilayer survivability shows the influence of the traffic granularity on the survivability cost: for high-bandwidth LSPs, close to the optical channel capacity, the multilayer survivability outperforms the single layer one, whereas for low-bandwidth LSPs the single-layer survivability is more cost-efficient. For the multilayer survivability we demonstrate that by mapping efficiently the spare capacity of the MPLS layer onto the resources of the optical layer one can achieve up to 22% savings in the total configuration cost and up to 37% in the optical layer cost. Further savings (up to 9%) in the wavelength use can be obtained with the integrated approach to network configuration over the sequential one; however, this is at the increase in the optimization problem complexity. These results are based on a cost model with current technology pricing and were obtained for networks targeted to a nationwide coverage.