Network performance and integrity enhancement with optical pathlayer technologies

Path layer technologies will play a key role in the development of a powerful and failure resilient B-ISDN. So far, they have been based on electrical technologies. This paper highlights WDM/FDM techniques and demonstrates that optical paths can greatly enhance the path layer capability and, therefore, the network performance. It is also shown that effective network failure restoration can be achieved with optical paths. The applicability of the wavelength path (WP) technique to global area networks is revealed by comparing different optical path realization techniques. WPs are applied to the national backbone network example to evaluate the required number of wavelengths, and to identify optical cross-connect node requirements. It then proposes a new optical path concept: the virtual wavelength path (VWP). In the VWP scheme, wavelengths are assigned on a link-by-link basis. In other words, the wavelength assigned to a wavelength path has only local significance. Significant benefits of the VWP such as the simplified path accommodation design within a transmission facility network and the reduced number of wavelengths needed, are elucidated. An optical cross-connect node architecture that enables the VWPs is also proposed. The architecture allows the VWP concept to be realized with commercially available optical technologies. The optical path layer concept proposed exploits and consolidates the layered transport network architecture and optical technologies, and will open up new opportunities for creating a B-ISDN that is bandwidth abundant and has a high degree of integrity     

Photonic transport network OAM technologies

The optical path concept was proposed to realize ubiquitous B-ISDN. It can make quantum leaps in both transmission capacity and cross-connect throughput simultaneously by exploiting WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) transmission and the wavelength routing capabilities of paths. Since the optical path is a new concept, new operation and management (OAM) systems and related technologies need to be developed before it can be fully utilized. This article discusses some of the key OAM-related issues and identifies the technical points necessary for future developments. The issues include optical path realization technologies, optical path accommodation design problems, a newly proposed optical transport network layer architecture, and the optical transport module for the network node interface     

P比特光交换节点研究

光网络中引入全光交换技术可以无需进行光电光转换和电信号处理,使网络具备透明性,大大降低节点的复杂性和节点成本。多粒度交换节点减小了交换矩阵的规模,降低了交换矩阵的复杂性,是波分复用（WDM）网络节点发展的一个方向。随着正交频分复用（OFDM）技术的引入,带宽可变的节点技术得到了越来越广泛的关注。文章介绍了传统的基于波长的光交叉连接器（OXC）交换结构、多粒度交换结构,以及基于正交频分复用/单载波频分复用（OFDM/SCFDM）的节点交换结构,并通过实验对基于带宽可变的可重构的光分插复用器（ROADM）、OXC节点技术进行了验证。在实验中提出的基于子波带的交换结构中,节点容量达到了P比特量级。     

Hybrid-hierarchical optical path network design algorithms utilizing ILP optimization

In this paper, we present design algorithms for the hierarchical optical path networks that utilize hybrid-hierarchical optical cross-connects (hybrid-HOXCs). The hybrid-HOXCs employ a waveband cross-connect for routing waveband paths and an electrical cross-connect for grooming wavelength paths. We first develop an integer linear programming model to solve the network design problem. We then propose a 2-stage ILP-based design algorithm for hierarchical optical path networks that utilize the hybrid-HOXCs. Its effectiveness is evaluated through numerical experiments. Impact of the critical parameter, electrical/optical port cost ratios, on total network cost is also investigated.     

Optical path cross-connect system scale evaluation using pathaccommodation design for restricted wavelength multiplexing

The optical path (OP) technology, which employs both wavelength-division multiplexing and wavelength routing, will be the key to enhanced network integrity and an ubiquitous broadband integrated services digital network (B-ISDN) in the future. To construct the OP network, path accommodation design that can solve simultaneously the problems of path routing and wavelength assignment must be established. Since optical wavelengths are scarce resources, even with state-of-the-art technologies, the available number of wavelengths that can be multiplexed into a fiber is restricted to a relatively small number. This entails space division multiplexing with multiple fibers in the link in order to accommodate the large number of paths within a link. This paper proposes novel OP accommodation design algorithms that can heuristically establish wavelength paths (WPs) or virtual wavelength paths (VWPs) in the network, where each link is composed of multiple fibers. These algorithms minimize the average number of fibers (in other words, cross-connect ports) handled at the WP/VWP cross-connect nodes and enable us to obtain the required OP cross-connect (OPXC) system scale at each node in WP/VWP networks. Algorithms that consider failure restoration are also proposed. Some WP/VWP accommodation designs over a polygrid network are simulated using the proposed algorithms. The difference between the WP and VWP schemes in terms of the required OPXC system scale with and without considering failure restoration is quantitatively evaluated for the first time     

Network Design and Cost Optimization for Label Switched Multilayer Photonic IP Networks

Dealing with the explosive increase in the amount of Internet traffic requires high-speed and huge capacity Internet protocol (IP) backbone networks. Existing IP backbone networks are constructed using point-to-point wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems, where all the wavelengths are terminated link-by-link, so that rather expensive optical/electrical conversions are necessary at every node. In these systems, since every IP packet is routed at each intermediate node based on the header information, a header processing bottleneck will occur when the node input traffic exceeds several hundreds of gigabits per second. In order to mitigate these problems, an optical cross-connect (OXC) function that employs wavelength routing of the optical paths (OPs) will provide an effective solution. This paper proposes a network design method where electrical and photonic multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) technologies are used; the network is referred to as a photonic IP network. We first propose new algorithms that minimize the network cost in a multilayered network comprising electrical label switched paths (LSPs) and optical LSPs (optical paths that are controlled using the MPLS mechanism). The particular point of the proposed algorithms is that they include different cost minimization scenarios appropriate for the different OLSP provisioning conditions that are chosen as the first step in the design stage. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and the benefits of the OLSPs are quantitatively evaluated through various simulations.     

Optical path technologies: a comparison among differentcross-connect architectures

The introduction of optical technology in the path layer of the transport network is expected to allow scalable and modular networks to be realized. In this paper, different optical cross-connect architectures, based either on space division or wavelength division switching, are analyzed. A comparative investigation is accomplished considering three issues of primary importance: cross-connect modularity, complexity, and transmission performance. In particular, the transmission performance of a generic path through the network is evaluated by upgrading a previously published analytical model, so to more accurately take into account the in-band crosstalk arising in the cross-connect     

Wavelength Conversion in WDM Optical Networks: Strategies and Algorithms for Limiting the Number of Converters in the Optical Cross-Connects

This paper considers the problem of wavelength conversion in optical networks using wavelength division multiplexing technique. In the previous literature, two main wavelength routing and assignment strategies have been introduced: wavelength path (WP) and virtual wavelength path (VWP), depending on whether the signal stays on the same wavelength or is converted to another during its travel throughout the network. While the former method does not require any wavelength conversion, the latter needs wavelength conversion in each optical node and, in particular, a wavelength converter per each signal handled by the node itself. From the previous literature emerged that the VWP leads to optical cross-connect (OXC) with lower dimensions compared to the ones required by the WP scheme, and that the difference between the WP and VWP schemes increases as the number of wavelengths carried by each fiber increases. In this paper a new strategy is introduced, named partial virtual wavelength path (PVWP), with the related wavelength routing and assignment algorithm, which makes limited use of wavelength conversion compared to the VWP scheme, and allows the same advantages of VWP to be attained with lower OXC dimensions. The paper reports a comparative analysis among the different strategies, considering both the cases of a network without failures and a network with the possibility of failure restoration. The main result is that the proposed PVWP strategy allows the same advantages of the VWP scheme with a strongly reduced number of wavelength converters (around 5% of the number required by VWP scheme). This figure does not vary appreciably if failure restoration is considered. The new strategy can be adopted by using an opportune OXC architecture, as illustrated in the paper, which allow a limited number of converters to be shared among all the channels as a common pool.     

Mini-slot TDM WDM optical networks

In recent years, optical transport networks have evolved from interconnected SONET/WDM ring networks to mesh-based optical WDM networks. Time-slot wavelength switching is to aggregate the lower rate traffic at the time-slot level into a wavelength in order to improve bandwidth utilization. With the advancement of fiber-optics technologies, continual increase of fiber bandwidth and number of wavelengths in each fiber, it is possible to divide a wavelength in a fiber into time-slots, and further divide a time-slot into mini-slots so that the fiber bandwidth can be more efficiently utilized. This article proposes a router architecture with an electronic system controller to support optical data transfer at the mini-slot(s) of a time-slot in a wavelength for each hop of a route. The proposed router architecture performs optical circuit switching and does not use any wavelength converter. Each node in the mini-slot TDM WDM optical network consists of the proposed router architecture. Three different network topologies are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and behavior of this type of network in terms of blocking probability and throughput.     

Robust photonic transport network implementation with optical crossconnect systems

We adopt the optical path concept to develop a photonic transport network. Because robustness is critical in a nationwide backbone network, we implement, as a first step, digital frame-based optical path network systems. NTT has developed several types of photonic transport systems. They are an optical path cross-connect system which has little quality of service monitoring large-scale integration circuit for each wavelength; a photonic transport payload assembler-disassembler, which accommodates client signals into optical path payloads and vice versa; and a repeater. The implementation of a PTS is depicted. A network-element-level operating system and an optical-network-level operating system are required to operate the WDM photonic transport network. We introduce a TMN-based network operating system. Finally, an overview of NTT's photonic transport network trial is presented     

Architectural analysis of multiple fiber ring networks employingoptical paths

Analyzes the performance of various types of multiple fiber ring networks employing optical paths (OP's). The multiple fiber ring network architecture is suitable for achieving failure resilient networks that have extremely large bandwidth but are still upgradable against future increases in traffic. This architecture will overcome the limitation of conventional WDM rings in terms of network expansion capabilities, the number of nodes within the ring, and the number of OP's accommodated in the network. The generic node architecture suitable for multiple fiber ring networks is presented and functionality requirements are identified. The OP accommodation design algorithms that minimize the required node system scale are proposed. Based on the generic node architecture and proposed OP accommodation design algorithms, we evaluated the performance of several types of multiple fiber rings in terms of the required node system scale for rings under various conditions. The effect of the ring architecture (uni-/bidirectional rings), optical path schemes (wavelength path/virtual wavelength path), and different node connectivity patterns are demonstrated for the first time. The obtained results elucidate the criteria for selecting the most suitable multiple fiber ring architecture     

Design and performance of an optical path cross-connect systembased on wavelength path concept

This paper describes the system design and performance of an optical path cross-connect (OPXC) system based on wavelength path concept. The (OPXC) is designed to offer 16 sets of input and output fiber ports with each fiber transporting eight multiwavelength signals for optical paths. Each optical path has a capacity of 2.5 Gb/s. Consequently, the total system throughput is 8×16×2.5=320 Gb/s and the OPXC features high modularity and expandability for switch components. By exploiting planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technologies, four sets of (8×16) delivery-and-coupling-type optical switches (DC-switches) are developed for the 320 Gb/s throughput OPXC system. The DC-switch offers the average insertion-loss of 12.6 dB and ON/OFF ratio of 42.1 dB. The PLC arrayed-waveguide gratings are confirmed to successfully demultiplex the eight directly modulated signals, multiplexed at a spacing of 1 nm, with a crosstalk of under -25 dB. Eight wavelength-division multiplexing signals, directly modulated at 2.5 Gb/s, are confirmed to be transported over 330 km via a cross-connection node in the test-bed system that simulates five-node network. The experimental performances demonstrated In this paper ensures full scale implementation of the proposed optical path cross-connect system with 320 Gb/s throughput and high integrity     

一体化OADM/OXC节点降低串扰结构研究

提出并分析了一体化光分插复用 /光交叉连接 (OADM/OXC)的降低串扰节点结构。在波分复用 (WDM )光传送网络中 ,一体化节点可以同时完成对光通道的上下路与交叉连接功能。与传统结构节点相比 ,该结构中使用一组 1× 2和 2× 1光开关与小规模的光交叉连接阵列实现光通道的上下路与交叉连接。仿真结果证明 ,该结构中由于同频串扰造成的功率代价显著下降。     

光开关和光开关阵列技术的发展研究

光开关与光开关阵列是DWDM光网络的关键器件，主要用来实现光层的路由选择、波长选择和光交叉连接等功能。文中全面论述比较了光开关和光开关阵列技术。     

光开关和光开关阵列技术的发展研究

光开关与光开关阵列是DWDM光网络的关键器件,主要用来实现光层的路由选择、波长选择和淆交叉连接等功能,文中全面论述比较了光开关和光开关阵列技术。     

Optical path cross-connect system architecture suitable for largescale expansion

This paper proposes, for WPs (wavelength paths) and VWPs (virtual wavelength paths), a new OPXC (optical path cross-connect) architecture suitable for constructing large scale OPXC systems. The architecture is based on the multimodule concept and uses main modules and junction modules. The proposed OPXC is shown to provide triple the throughput of the conventional OPXC (delivery and coupling switch based) assuming state-of-the-art commercially available devices. It allows traffic demand increases to be supported with less OPXC switch hardware compared to the conventional OPXC architecture. The proposed architecture also keeps the advantages of the conventional architecture: a high level of expandability with regard to incoming/outgoing links and upgradability from a WP network to a VWP network. Thus the proposed OPXC architecture is highly flexible and allows minimum investment to encourage introduction while gracefully supporting future system scale expansion with incremental growth matching the traffic demand     

光组播路由代价与波长使用量的联合优化方法

为解决光组播路由中组播中路由代价和波长资源消耗单一化造成的组播路树路由的代价过高问题,在分光节点约束条件下,提出了光组播路由代价与波长使用量联合优化的长路优先(LPF)方法和短路优先(SPF)方法。算法通过检查最小光组播树是否存在节点分光约束的问题,根据设置的波长使用代价控制因子,使LPF或SPF的路由代价和波长使用量最小。LPF方法首先选择组播树最长路径或新波长通道重路由受分光约束的目的节点,SPF方法先选择组播树中最短路径或新波长通道重路由受分光约束的目的节点,仿真结果表明,本文提出的两种联合优化方法都能实现路由代价较低和波长需求较少的目的。     

Cost Effective Shared Path Protection for WDM Optical Mesh Networks with Partial Wavelength Conversion

In this paper, we study routing and wavelength assignment of connection requests in survivable WDM optical mesh networks employing shared path protection with partial wavelength conversion while 100% restorability is guaranteed against any single failures. We formulate the problem as a linear integer program under a static traffic model. The objective is to minimize the total cost of wavelength-links and wavelength converters used by working paths and protection paths of all connections. A weight factor is used which is defined as the cost ratio of a wavelength converter and a wavelength-link. Depending on the relative cost of bandwidth and wavelength conversion, the optimization objective allows a proper tradeoff between the two. The proposed algorithm, the shortest-widest-path-first (SWPF) algorithm, uses a modified Dijkstra's algorithm to find a working path and a protection path for each connection request in the wavelength graph transformed from the original network topology. When there are multiple candidate paths that have the same minimum total cost, the path along which the maximum number of converters used at each node is minimized is chosen by the SWPF algorithm. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm via extensive simulation. The results indicate that the performance of the proposed algorithm is very close to that of the optimal solutions obtained by solving the ILP formulation and outperforms existing heuristic algorithms in terms of total number of converters used and the maximum number of converters required at each node in the network. The proposed algorithm also achieves slightly better performance in terms of total cost of wavelength-links and converters used by all connections. We also investigated shared path protection employing converter sharing. The results show that the technique can reduce not only the total number of converters used in the network but also the maximum number of converters required at each node, especially when a large number of converters are needed in the network. In this study, although the ILP formulation is based on static traffic, the proposed algorithm is also applicable to routing dynamic connection requests.     

Performance analysis of optical multicast in a new switching structure

The emergence of new services demands multicast function in optical network.Because of the high cost and complex architecture of multicast capable (MC) node, splitter-sharing switch structure is introduced in which the light splitters are shared by all input signals.To accommodate to this situation, by extending resource ReSerVation protocol-traffic engineering (RSVP-TE) and open shortest path first-traffic engineering (OSPF-TE), a new optical multicast mechanism is provided and the signaling flow and its finite state machine model are given.At the same time, a multicast routing algorithm in splitter-sharing optical network and a changing link weight policy to balance network traffic are proposed.Simulations in NSFNET show no matter with or without wavelength converters, when the number of splitters is 25% of that demanded by traditional MC nodes, the multicast performance has been close to the ideal circumstance.Wavelength converters and changing link weight help much in improving the traffic performance when the number of splitters is adequate.     

Strictly Non-Blocking All-Optical-Cross-Connect Demonstrator for WDM Wavelength Path Networks

In this paper, we assess the design and performances of a strictly non-blocking all-optical cross-connect demonstrator node for WDM wavelength path networks. The all-optical cross-connect (AOXC) prototype was experimentally tested in a small 2 x 2 WDM network with a STM-16 bit stream per channel. The single and cascaded performance of the AOXC was also simulated and its results were validated with the experimental ones.