First Demonstration of a Cross-Layer Enabled Network Node

Exploding traffic demands and increasing energy consumptions facing today's networks are driving the designs of next-generation networking technologies. Cross-layer enabled approaches will allow for the packet-level control of the optical layer, to enable dynamic resource allocation and traffic engineering at the physical layer. We demonstrate an intelligent cross-layer enabled network node that can support high-bandwidth, all-optically routed packets, using emerging photonic technologies including optical packet switched fabrics and packet-scale performance monitoring. Using a cross-layer control and management plane, the node can dynamically optimize optical switching based on higher-layer constraints such as quality-of-service and energy consumption, as well as quality-of-transmission metrics such as link integrity and bit-error rates. We demonstrate a first-generation prototype of the cross-layer node, outlining its architecture and major implemented subsystems. The packet-rate physical-layer reconfiguration of the node's fabric is shown using an implemented performance monitor and control plane. The realized node supports 8 x 40-Gb/s wavelength-striped optical packets with pseudorandom data with error-free transmission (bit-error rates less than 10(-12)), in conjunction with the heterogeneous transmission of video traffic using 10-Gigabit Ethernet optical network interface cards based on field-programmable gate arrays.