A Genetic Algorithm Based Approach for Static Virtual Topology Design in Optical Networks

Optical networks based on WDM technology are potential candidates for future networks. The design of virtual topology using routing and wavelength assignment algorithms is the primary problem of optical network design. The problem being a NP-complete one, researchers have proposed a number of heuristic approaches. In this paper we present a genetic algorithm based approach to formulate and solve the virtual topology design problem in optical networks. The major design issues here are the limited number of available wavelengths on the links, routing of higher traffic requests on single hop lightpaths and a predefined traffic pattern. The results obtained in this approach are compared with the existing approaches. The results clearly indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.