A Pack of a Routing, Fault Tolerance and Sizing Method for Dynamic WDM Optical Networks

Background

Network operators are challenged to solve routing and wavelength issues while minimizing network cost and ensuring network performance reaches the stated level, minimizing the probability of failures or creating alternatives in case of failures to maintain the Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Currently, static optical networks are inefficient, resources are permanently assigned to each user from origin to destination, regardless of the percentage of time they are used. The most widely used strategy to solve the R&WD problem has been separating the sizing problem from the routing problem. However, joining the solutions found does not give a general solution as well adjusted.

On the other hand, there is also the Shortest Path Balanced Routing (SPBR) method, typically used in the literature, which does not minimize network costs while guaranteeing a maximum probability of network blocking.

The set of three inventions proposes a routing, fault tolerance, and a sizing method for dynamic WDM optical networks. These technologies have a wide application in telecommunications since the technology presented represents a new paradigm for the routing of WDM optical networks, a technology that has been evolving considerably during the last few years. In that sense, this technology corresponds to a more efficient and economical method that does not require hardware transformation, so it would be applicable to existing networks. It allows more stable and reliable connections, so it can be applied to any network project, regardless of its size.

Technology Overview

The technology corresponds to a set of three technologies that incorporate a least-cost routing method, a fault-tolerance method, and a wavelength dimensioning method for dynamic WDM optical networks with wavelength continuity constraints.

The first technology corresponds to a routing method for a dynamic WDM optical network that has wavelength continuity constraints, and that aims to determine the set of routes that allow transmitting to each user in the network. The method is more efficient than existing methods, in terms of the number of wavelengths, and due to the fixed routing strategy used, its implementation is simple, and its online operation is very fast.

The second technology corresponds to a method for determining the set of additional routes, called secondary routes, which are used to keep each user connected in cases where any set of simultaneous link failures occur. In addition, the number of wavelengths available on each link in the network is calculated such that the probability of blocking each connection is less than a predetermined threshold (which is a network design parameter), despite the occurrence of any set of simultaneous links.

The third technology corresponds to a method for implementing an optical WDM network with wavelength continuity constraint that is based on a definition of a policy for assigning wavelengths to each network connection and on a calculation of the number of wavelengths in dynamic optical WDM networks with wavelength continuity constraint.

Benefits

Technology 1:

• The proposed routing method obtains on average 23% less wavelengths than existing strategies (UD strategy), considering homogeneous and heterogeneous QoS (quality of service) constraint scenarios.
• It is fast to operate and simple to implement.

Technology 2:

• For the case of a single link failure, existing methods require, in general, 30% more wavelength than the fault tolerance method proposed in this technology, which also implies a reduction in the associated costs.

Technology 3:

• The dimensioning and assignment method allows for heterogeneous assignment; in addition to assigning each connection a number of wavelengths that allows the blocking probability of that connection to be as close as possible to the corresponding threshold value, thus avoiding over-sizing the network. As a consequence of the above, the method allows the network to be dimensioned to serve connections with different wavelength values, that is, when there are classes of users with different service level agreements.

Applications

It has wide applications in the telecommunications field since the technology presented represents a new paradigm for the routing of WDM optical networks. It corresponds to a more efficient and economical method that does not require hardware transformation, so it would be applicable to existing networks.

Intellectual property status

Granted Patent

Patent number : Technology 1: US 17/419,202 (USA

Where : USA

Granted Patent

Patent number : Technology 2: US 17/419,210

Where : USA

Granted Patent

Patent number : Technology 3: US 17/419,249

Where : USA

Desired business relationship

Other : The university are looking for an opportunity to find an interested co-developer and/or licensee of the technology with the objective of commercial use of the technology.