Novel Network Architecture for Optical Burst Transport

摘要

This paper presents the Optical Burst Transport Network architecture (OBTN) and an evaluation of its performance. In a hybrid approach, OBTN combines an optically burst-switched layer with a dense wavelength-switched virtual topology layer. Together with a constrained, alternative routing scheme and an aligned network dimensioning it achieves flexibility, high service quality, and resource efficiency. Also, it opens up an evolution path from today's networks. Comprehensive evaluations by event-driven simulation demonstrate the performance of OBTN and exhibit the impact of its key building blocks. Compared to the other candidate architectures Optical Burst Switching (OBS) and Burst-over-Circuit-Switching (BoCS), OBTN yields an overall more cost-efficient network design. It reduces the number of high complexity burst-switched ports - in the case of OBS trading them off by more economic wavelength layer links.