A policy plane for IP-optical networks

There is a push towards convergence of optical and Internet transport infrastructures, where the network end to end runs a single homogeneous control and signaling plane. For practical reasons the convergence happens in phases, from overlay networks via optical-UNI (user-to-network interface) signaling between domains, to routing and signaling between domains, towards a model of homogenous routing and signaling end to end via GMPLS (generalized multi-protocol label switching). Complex policy control is required for proper functioning and management of different network architectures introduced by various phases of the convergence. In this paper, we present a policy plane that controls and manages a heterogeneous, multi-domain, and converged optical and IP network