Modeling of wavelength multiplexing networks for high reliability optical data communication

A new computer simulation and modeling tool for metropolitan area optical data communication networks is presented. This model addresses the unique requirements of virtual private networks for enterprise data centers, which may include a mixture of protocols including ESCON, FICON, fibre channel, Ethernet, and other links interconnected over dark fiber using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). The models are capable of automatically designing a WDM network configuration; computing optical link budgets; comparing alternative configurations; and optimizing the design based on user-defined performance metrics. We present simulation results for several topologies and validate the model using experiments conducted on an enterprise network testbed.