Inter-layer traffic engineering with hierarchical-PCE in MPLS-TP over wavelength switched optical networks

Area of Science:

• Computer Networking
• Telecommunications Engineering
• Network Architecture

Background:

• Traditional traffic engineering (TE) often requires comprehensive network topology information, which can be complex and difficult to obtain in multi-layer networks.
• Inter-layer communication is crucial for efficient resource utilization and performance optimization in modern communication networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel Inter-layer Traffic Engineering (TE) architecture.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of a hierarchical path computation element (PCE) in managing TE links across network layers.
• To reduce the need for complete topology visibility in packet TE.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a hierarchical path computation element (PCE) architecture.
• Development of control plane extensions to facilitate inter-layer communication.
• Experimental validation within a control plane testbed environment.

Main Results:

• The hierarchical PCE successfully identified and managed packet TE links induced by established optical layer Label Switched Paths.
• The architecture demonstrated effective TE without requiring full network topology knowledge.
• Experimental evaluation confirmed the feasibility and performance of the proposed control plane extensions.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Inter-layer TE architecture offers a scalable and efficient solution for network management.
• Hierarchical PCE effectively bridges optical and packet layers for enhanced traffic engineering.
• This approach simplifies TE implementation by mitigating the need for complete topology awareness.