Integrated traffic grooming in converged data-optical networks

Optical dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) has yielded unprecedented levels of bandwidth scalability. In order to exploit these gains, new converged multiservice transport setups have been evolved, most notably under the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and generalized MPLS (GMPLS) frameworks. These paradigms offer very efficient data-optical integration and enable a host of new service capabilities. As operators deploy these new technologies, the provisioning of "subwavelength" demands over wavelengths has become a crucial requirement, i.e., traffic engineering/grooming. This work addresses data-optical grooming in converged GMPLS networks. Here, novel integrated constraint-based routing algorithms are developed to provision subwavelength demands at both packet-switching and lightpath routing levels. Simulations indicate notable performance gains and resource efficiencies with the proposed schemes.