Dynamic Reconfiguration in Multihop WDM Networks

Abstract

We consider multichannel multihop lightwave networks with stations equipped with a small number of transmitters and receivers. By assigning wavelengths to the receivers and transmitters at each station, one can define the logical connectivity of the network independently of the underlying physical topology. The advent of fast tunable optical transmitters and receivers makes it feasible to dynamically update the network connectivity to accommodate traffic demands that vary over time. Of major concern in such design is how the connectivity should react to changes in traffic patterns. The problem is formulated as a Markovian Decision Process and the properties of the optimal configuration policy are identified. These properties are then used to develop an algorithm for obtaining policies that make decisions similar to the decisions of the optimal policy. A procedure is also proposed to manage the large state space for systems with a large number of stations.