Planning OBS networks with QoS constraints

The design of OBS networks that guarantee QoS provisioning for different classes of traffic is a major topic under current research. In this work we formulate a unified framework for studying QoS in OBS networks with a GMPLS-based control plane. We use this framework in order to investigate two problems. First, the configuration of the parameters of an aggregation strategy so that a given Forwarding Equivalency Class observes its corresponding QoS requirements. Second, we address the problem of planning a whole OBS network given a series of QoS constraints for each one of the Forwarding Equivalency Classes in the network. The presented QoS framework constitutes a valuable tool for studying QoS-related issues in OBS networks.