Distributed abstraction and verification of an installed optical fibre network

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Computer Science
• Optical Networking

Background:

• Wavelength routed optical mesh networks present significant management complexity due to numerous routing options and physical layer impairments.
• Traditional network management struggles with the intricacies of diverse equipment and transmission performance variables.
• Abstraction principles from computer science offer a method to simplify network descriptions and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the robustness and applicability of the noise-to-signal ratio (NSR) as an abstracted metric in installed fiber optic infrastructures.
• To determine if NSR can accurately predict end-to-end transmission performance across network elements.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating an abstracted NSR into network management and routing decisions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an installed fiber optic infrastructure to evaluate the NSR metric.
• Collected data on signal transmission performance through various network elements.
• Analyzed the additivity and observer independence of the abstracted NSR.
• Correlated abstracted NSR measurements with the performance of subsequently established light-paths.

Main Results:

• The abstracted noise-to-signal ratio was found to be independent of observer location, demonstrating its objectivity.
• The NSR metric accurately predicted the performance of light-paths within the tested network.
• Additive accumulation of NSR across network elements allows for reliable end-to-end performance estimation.

Conclusions:

• The abstracted noise-to-signal ratio is a robust and reliable metric for managing complex optical mesh networks.
• Implementing abstracted NSR in routing engines enhances network management by enabling informed decisions on resource allocation and data coding.
• This approach simplifies network operations and optimizes the use of network resources.