Labeled optical burst switching for IP-over-WDM integration

TLDR

Rapid advances in Internet applications and optical technologies are driving dynamic wavelength provisioning and shortening provisioning times, while the existing wavelength‑routing paradigm for bursty traffic suffers from circuit‑switching limitations and optical packet switching remains costly, positioning OBS as a promising intermediate solution. The article aims to describe the OBS paradigm and propose labeled OBS (LOBS) as a control and provisioning solution within the IP/MPLS framework. The authors propose integrating OBS with IP/MPLS labeling—LOBS—to provide natural control and provisioning for burst traffic.

Abstract

The rapid pace of development in both Internet applications and emerging optical technologies is bringing about fundamental changes in networking philosophies. Key trends are the emergence of dynamic wavelength provisioning and a corresponding reduction in wavelength provisioning timescales. As this transition continues, the current use of the wavelength-routing paradigm for carrying bursty Internet traffic will likely suffer from various shortcomings associated with circuit-switched networks. Meanwhile, optical packet switching technology is still facing significant cost and technological hurdles. Optical burst switching, or OBS, which represents a balance between circuit and packet switching, has opened up some exciting new dimensions in optical networking. This article describes the OBS paradigm, and also proposes the use of labeled OBS, or LOBS, as a natural control and provisioning solution under the ubiquitous IP multiprotocol label switching framework.