Precise path computation based on functional block-based disaggregation for future heterogeneous access-metro networks

Abstract

Emerging 5G/6G mobile services are intended to cover a broad range of use cases, including applications requiring high bandwidth, low latency, and/or high reliability. To meet these diverse requirements, various optical network technologies and architectures, including optical node structures, transmission technologies, and virtualization technologies, have been extensively investigated. These novel technologies will be integrated to form a platform of future optical access-metro networks that support various mobile services. Such an optical access-metro platform will comprise heterogeneous node structures based on various optical functional blocks (e.g., wavelength selective switches, optical splitters, or arrayed waveguide gratings). To realize a versatile optical access-metro platform, a network resource management system that can universally handle heterogeneous node structures is indispensable. This study investigates the applicability of a functional block-based disaggregation (FBD) approach to such a resource-management system. Here, the previously proposed FBD model is extended to incorporate latency aware path computation. The results demonstrated that the FBD model could be successfully used with heterogeneous network structures, including both passive and switchable optical nodes. The precise path computation capability of the model was also demonstrated, and the scalability of the computation time was quantitatively evaluated in a parallel processing environment. Precise path computation can effectively consider both intra- and inter-node fiber connection lengths, which are useful for handling latency requirements based on an accurate representation of the propagation delay.