Optimal Solution of Integer Multicommodity Flow Problems With Application in Optical Networks

In this paper, we propose methods for solving broadly applicable integer multicommodity flow problems. We focus in particular on the problem of routing and wavelength assignment (RWA), which is critically important for increasing the efficiency of wavelength-routed all-optical networks. Our methodology can be applied as a special case to the problem of routing in a circuit-switched network. We discuss an integer-linear programming formulation, which can be addressed with highly efficient linear (not integer) programming methods, to obtain optimal or nearly optimal solutions.