Cooperative Data-Optical InterNetworking: Distributed Multi-Layer Optimization

Overview

This paper presents a novel approach for joint optical network provisioning and IP traffic engineering, in which the IP and optical networks collaboratively optimize a combined objective of network performance and lightpath provisioning cost. A framework is developed for distributed multi-layer optimization. This framework is built upon the IP-over-Optical (IPO) overlay model, where each network domain has a limited view of the other. The formulation allows the two domains to communicate and coordinate their decisions through minimal information exchange. The solution is based on a novel application of Generalized Bender's Decomposition, which divides a difficult global optimization problem into tractable sub-problems, each solved by a different domain.