Multi-Layer Simulation Design and Validation for a Two-Tier Fault-Tolerant WDM LAN

In this paper, we report our progress on the development of a simulation framework for optical local area networks, which enables a multi-layer network simulation and hence bridges the gap between the traditional signal-level and traffic-level simulators. The framework, called DRAGON (discrete-model register for Artifex-based general-purpose optical local area network simulation), is built upon the Artifex modeling platform, and it models a wide register of fiber-optic components, emulating features at multiple network layers, spanning over signal and noise power monitoring, bit error rate (BER) estimation, packet collision detection, and propagation/transmission delay emulation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of DRAGON by modeling a novel two-tier fault-tolerant wavelength division multiplexing local area network (WDM LAN) architecture, and we show the impact of the proposed WDM LAN architecture on the quality of service requirements of WDM traffic.