Service Differentiation in IP over DWDM Optical Networks

Recent developments in optical devices and communication protocols have made possible real-time provisioning in DWDM optical networks without human intervention. In order to provide an end-to-end optical path for an IP client, the widely known Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) problem must be solved. In this paper we introduce a new RWA procedure meant to support different classes of service in a DWDM network, like the Differentiated Service Architecture (DiffServ) of the Internet at the IP layer. The solution to the routing subproblem is based on the concept of link utility, a metric that we developed and included in the cost function to give priorities to different users. The wavelength assignment subproblem is solved utilizing a multilayer multinetwork approach. Simulation experiments show that our procedure in fact not only provides service differentiation but also reduces the overall average blocking probability.