Intermediate-node initiated reservation (IIR): a new signaling scheme for wavelength-routed networks with sparse conversion

In this work, we propose a new distributed signaling scheme, within the GMPLS framework, for establishing lightpaths in wavelength-routed networks with sparse wavelength conversion. Analytical models are developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. Theoretical and simulation results show that compared to the classic scheme designed primarily for networks with no wavelength conversion, the proposed signaling scheme can achieve much lower blocking probability.