Prototype System of SLAMNet: Implementation and Performance Analysis of Signaling-Free Wavelength Path Switching Network

摘要

This paper describes the implementation of an optical switch control system for best-effort multi-wavelength path assignment in DWDM networks based on the SLAMNet (Statistical Lambda Multiplexing Network) that provides dynamic path assignment capabilities without signaling between nodes. The platform of the prototype system consists of a hardware and operation system that are commercially available in the market. We developed the control functions of the SLAMNet as application software to run on the platform. The control function monitors the instantaneous bit rate of the traffic in the wavelength paths and autonomously sets up or releases optical channels in an independent and distributed manner. We demonstrate that the prototype system achieves a switching time of less than 28 milliseconds, which can respond to the burst traffic that emerges and disappears within a fraction of a second in backbone networks. This result indicates that the network architecture SLAMNet is applicable for best-effort multi-wavelength path assignment as an overlay network built on a legacy infrastructure that has no signaling capabilities. The design description and detail hardware configuration are presented. The control mechanisms and performance analysis are also included.