Staged priority-based dynamic bandwidth allocation in software-defined hybrid passive optical network

Abstract

A software-defined hybrid passive optical network (HPON) architecture is proposed, in which multiple PON systems using various physical layer (PHY) multiplexing technologies can coexist. The detailed upstream bandwidth allocation procedure is illustrated, and the dynamic bandwidth allocation mechanism in software-defined HPON is primarily investigated. By introducing the concept of virtual PON (VPON), an elaborate staged priority-based dynamic bandwidth allocation (SPB-DBA) mechanism for inter-VPON is proposed, which consists of a delicate two-stage admission scheme of bandwidth allocation to avoid frequent bandwidth reallocation, and an exquisite weighted bandwidth allocation algorithm to allocate bandwidth for VPONs with priority level and bandwidth demand priority differentiation. The simulation results demonstrate that the SPB-DBA mechanism provides distinctive bandwidth support for VPONs with differentiated priority levels and ensures the access fairness among VPONs. Furthermore, the performances in terms of bandwidth utilization, average satisfaction ratio, and packet average delay are significantly improved.