Multiperiod IP-over-elastic network reconfiguration with adaptive bandwidth resizing and modulation

Abstract

Elastic optical networks (EONs) represent a promising network architecture that accommodates a wide variety of traffic demands in the optical layer. Thanks to the functionality of bandwidth flexibility of elastic optical paths, we can now accommodate IP traffic directly into the optical layer by configuring, for example, the modulation format and subcarrier counts to client demands (optical path demands). At the same time, to accommodate temporally and geographically changing IP traffic demands efficiently in optical networks, cooperation between the IP and optical layers is essential. This paper proposes a multilayer network reconfiguration algorithm that supports periodically changing IP traffic patterns. We incorporate two schemes, which make IP over EONs more flexible, into the heuristic iterative multilayer network reconfiguration algorithm (IMNR). The first scheme involves bandwidth resizing achieved through subcarrier expansion and reduction, and the second employs energy-efficient adaptive modulation according to the data rate and distance of the client demands. We evaluated the impact of the following on energy efficiency: the IMNR algorithm, the proposed adaptive bandwidth resizing and modulation schemes, and some multicarrier-based transponder architectures including bandwidth-variable transponder (BVT) and sliceable BVT (SBVT). The evaluation results show that the IMNR algorithm with the proposed schemes significantly reduces the energy consumption compared with traditional network planning schemes and equipment.