Dynamic cooperative spectrum sharing and defragmentation for elastic optical networks

Flexible optical networks appear as the most prevalent candidates for next-generation core transport networks. The transition from a fixed to a flexible frequency grid calls for novel spectrum allocation techniques. This work focuses on the notion of dynamic cooperative spectrum sharing and addresses the issue of dynamic cooperative spectrum allocation for flexible optical networks. In order to cope with the dynamicity of the traffic demands, spectrum expansion/contraction (SEC) policies attempt to accommodate incoming requests by means of expanding/contracting the allocations of connections. When spectrum expansion is limited by neighboring connections, appropriate spectrum defragmentation (SD) policies undertake the task of reallocating connections in order to free up the spectrum. In this work, a novel cooperative SEC policy is examined, which takes into consideration the spectrum allocation of neighboring connections. Additionally, a class of cooperative SD policies is proposed, based on the capabilities of current technology. Simulation results from two reference core networks quantify the benefits that can be reaped in terms of blocking rate. Trade-offs with respect to the achieved reduction in blocking rate and the number of reallocated connections during the SD procedure are examined.