Intelligent Inter-domain Connection Provisioning for Multi-domain Multi-vendor Optical Networks

Abstract

We propose a semicentralized semidistributed network architecture based on active stateful path computation elements (PCEs) to intelligently provide end-to-end inter-domain connections in multi-domain optical transport networks supplied by different equipment vendors. A novel control entity, called an inter-domain communication control and management element (ICCME), is introduced into the architecture to achieve flexible distributed interdomain control and centralized intra-domain management by integrating with "proactive" and "reactive" stateful capabilities. Inter-domain routing and signaling are completed with the collaboration of multiple ICCMEs in a peer-to-peer manner, which decentralizes highly intensive computation and signaling to multiple ICCMEs. In addition, we put forward a unified inter-domain communication protocol to eliminate the differences in private signaling message formats of various vendors' domains. We report a successful field trial of providing inter-domain connections across a commercial three-domain three-vendor optical transport network. Also, experimental results indicate that ICCMEbased architecture performs better than previous schemes in terms of scalability, i.e., low average routing load of control entities and low average delay in establishing interdomain connections, but results in higher message overhead and blocking probability.

High-Dynamic Optical Network Control Architecture Based on Spatiotemporal Synchronization

“…Due to the uncertainty of signaling transmission delay, it is difficult to guarantee the arrival time of a signaling packet, and thus network resources with short time windows are not able to be utilized. This restricts the optical networks from improving their dynamic performance, and further leads to a long connection establishment/teardown time at the level of seconds [5]. By using the SDN-based centralized control mechanism, this time can be reduced to several hundred milliseconds [6], but it is difficult to be further improved.…”

Robust software-defined optical networking for the power grid

“…A software-defined optical transmission network might include multiple controllers and may be broken up into domains which are separately controlled by one or more controllers. The advantages of several physical control units include but are not limited to scalability, control plane robustness, responsiveness, load balancing, and security in multi-domain networks [15]- [18]. However, network control becomes more complicated when multiple controllers are involved as they require coordination and information sharing.…”