Thin Layer for Seamless Interconnection of Multi-Technology Transport Networks

This paper proposes a networking layer called "thin layer" for seamless interconnection of multi-technology transport networks. The thin layer enables deploying different transport networks at different areas (e.g., Multi-Protocol Label Switching - Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) at the access/aggregation, Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) at the metro, and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) at the core), while interconnecting these different transport networks seamlessly. This allows flexible network structure, eliminating the need to place service specific nodes at each transport network boundary. The thin layer provides point-to-point links between any end-points, with the required service quality such as bandwidth and reliability. This paper proposes to utilize Ethernet as the thin layer basis for its flexibility and ubiquitousness. Its data plane and OAM (Operation, Administration and Maintenance) is a profile of existing Ethernet, with appropriate extensions. Its control and management plane utilizes GMPLS (Generalized MPLS). This paper further describes some open issues and future directions.