IP-optical Integration

Peter Sjdin KTH TSLab, Kista, Sweden psj@kth.se

Layered Communication Model

Modular design with welldefined interfaces Independent layers
Duplicated functionality
Connection management Error control Flow control Quality of service

Each layer requires its own management

From B. A. Forouzan: Data Communications and Networking, 4th ed, McGraw-Hill

End-to-end Arguments
End-to-end arguments in system design, by J.H. Saltzer, D.P. Reed and D.D. Clark, 1981. A function or service should be carried out within a network layer only if
it is needed by all clients of that layer, and it can be completely implemented in that layer.

Result is that protocol operations shift towards the network end-points

Dumb network, smart terminals

SONET/SDH Networks
TDM circuit switching Packet switching over SONET/SDH ATM infrastructure on top IP routers connected to ATM switches
Adding signals into (dropping signals from) a path Combination of multiple signals on a path

Regeneration of optical signal

From B. A. Forouzan: Data Communications and Networking, 3rd ed, McGraw-Hill

SONET/SDH Control
Three individual control planes
IP, ATM and SDH

Redundancy between IP and ATM in particular

Both are packet (cell) switched networks
Routing, addressing Flow control, error control Fragmentation and reassembly

IP ATM SONET/SDH Fiber Optics

ATM, MPLS Switching and IP Routing

LSP IP pkt IP pkt l=x IP pkt l=z IP pkt l=y IP pkt l=v IP pkt

Simplify by introducing yet another protocol layer! MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching)
Unites IP and ATM Use control information from IP to set up MPLS LSPs (Label Switch Paths)
IP routing, RSVP, etc
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Control of SONET/SDH Networks

IP IP ATM SONET/SDH Fiber Optics MPLS ATM data plane SONET/SDH Fiber Optics

Replace ATM control by MPLS

Multiplexer

WDMWavelength Division Multiplexing

Demultiplexer

Single wavelength

Multiwavelength

Single wavelength

Cost-efficient solution compared to SONET/SDH

WDM System
Add/drop and cross-connect configuration
Added wavelengths Transponders Demultiplexer Multiplexer

Transponders
Combine receive/transmit on different wavelengths

N x N
Transponders

Dropped wavelengths

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Control of WDM Networks

SDH/SONET are for setting up synchronous circuits IP control protocols (routing protocols, RSVP, etc) are for controlling packet switches Manual configuration and/or proprietary control protocols for controlling WDM networks

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Enters Generalized MPLS (GMPLS)

MPLS switching generalized to control different kinds of switching
Packet switching TDM
Time slots TSI switches between time slots

Cross Connects (space division multiplexing)

Switches between ports (fibers)

Wavelength (lambda) switching

Switches between wavelengths

IETF MPLS and CCAMP (Common Control and Measurement Plane) working groups

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GMPLS Rationale
IP MPLS ATM data plane SONET/SDH Fiber Optics IP GMPLS Fiber Optics

Unified control plane for IP over optical networks

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Generalized Label Request

LSP encoding type Type of label
Packet SONET/SDH Wavelength

Switching type

Payload identifier Type of payload

Virtual Tributary ATM Ethernet

Switch capabilities
Packet switch Time slot switch Wavelength switch Fiber (port) switch

Generalized labels is superset of MPLS labels

Wavelength, time slot, ATM VCI/VPI, generic MPLS labels (shim),

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Hierarchical LSPs

Fiber LSP Wavelength LSP Time slot LSP Packet LSP

LSPs can be organized into hierarchies From a (link state) routing point of view, each LSP is a link
Link bundling allows several LSPs with similar attributes to be treated as a single link

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Using IP to Control Cross Connects

BGP, RSVP, etc. are for controlling routers
Next hop routing based on IP addresses

An optical cross connect switches lightpaths, not packets Still, it needs to appear as a router
IP addresses Wavelengths, fibers, are links

N x N

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GMPLS over Ethernet

MPLS treats an Ethernet as a single link
One hop in an LSP Even if the LSP goes through multiple Ethernet switches

But with GMPLS, couldnt we control Ethernet switches as well?

In analogy with how we deal with optical switches

Yes, but:
We need to decide what is a generalised label in Ethernet Ethernet switches need to recognize and switch between generalised labels

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Conclusions
Large benefit from an operational point of view if we can use IP for controlling the network
Even if it is not a packet switched network

GMPLS is emerging as an important way of controlling optical networks from IP

Requires a generalization of the label concept from MPLS to be applicable to non-packet networks

Optical switches need to appear as IP routers, even though they do not forward IP packets If we want to use GMPLS to control different switches, we need to define new generalized switching models
For Ethernet, for instance

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Thank You For Listening!

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