A GMPLS-based OBS architecture for IP-over-WDM networks

Recently, IP over WDM has been envisioned as dominant network architecture to meet the ever-increasing bandwidth requirement in the IP networks and to eliminate the intermediate layers and able to make better use of advanced optical technologies. Among existing several optical switching paradigms for IP over WDM, optical burst switching (OBS) is the more promising one, which combines the advantages of optical circuit switching (OCS) and optical packet switching (OPS), and can also loose the implementation complexity even though the optical random-access buffer is unavailable, and optical logic processing is not mature up to now. Therefore, OBS will play a very important role in next generation IP networks. However as much more trends shown, OBS-based IP optical network requires an appropriate control plane able to control and manage resource/service between IP and WDM. Currently, Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) has been regarded as one of excellent candidate control planes for most of network scenarios because it enhances some issues of MPLS (including routing and signaling, link management, and fault protection and restoration), and also supports various granularity switching (such as packet, TDM timeslot, wavelength, waveband, and fibre-switched). Moreover, some practical deployments have shown GMPLS able to achieve automatic path provisioning and online network management. Therefore naturally, the integration and cooperation between GMPLS and OBS attracts more attentions from many research institutes and organizations. Of course, the similar concepts are originally given in the labeled OBS (LOBS) framework proposed by Dr. Qiao. Most of importance, LOBS provides the basic ideas for the collaboration of MPLS and OBS. However, how to efficiently integrate GMPLS and OBS to make the best of their advantages requires much more detailed discussions. To our knowledge, there are very few literatures and material to expatiate on the related issues. Here, the paper will present our some research results and viewpoints related to the integration and extension of GMPLS into OBS. Firstly, the paper proposes a GMPLS-based OBS network model for the integration of IP and WDM. Secondly, it defines the packets format for control and data information. Third, it also gives the node's functional architecture and the collaborative control operations between GMPLS and OBS. Finally, it proposes a unified software system to integrate the functions of GMPLS and OBS. Besides, the paper also presents some GMPLS enhancements to support OBS, such as traffic engineering, fault recovery, and link management, etc.