Connection setup and traffic aggregation in IP-based Elastic Optical Networks (EON)

Abstract

To overcome the challenges of the increased IP traffic volume on the Internet, the IP/MPLS-based fixed grid DWDM network structure was proposed, which makes the interaction between both the IP layer and the optical wavelength routed fixed DWDM layer applicable. However, the deployment of this architecture was not only expensive, but power-consuming. The emerging optical Flexgrid networks technology is nowadays suggested to be the potential candidate for future optical transport networks. This is because it provides extremely flexible and spectrally effective resources utilisation. Therefore, it has attracted the attention of network operators, optical networks equipment manufacturers and the wider research and development society. In this research work, we propose a novel multilayer routing scheme for an IP/MPLS-based optical Flex-grid network, which is based on the protocol suite defined by the GMPLS architecture. Furthermore, we evaluate its behaviour in an online dynamic traffic scenario.