CTTC Optical Networking Area

The goal of the Optical Networking Area (ONA) is the evolution of data transport systems towards intelligent (dynamic, self-star), high-capacity, low-cost, and energy-efficient optical transport networks:

• Research Topics
• Public-funded Projects
• Publications
• Collaboration Activities
• Organization Activities
• Awards

Demonstration is performed by means of the ADRENALINE testbed®, a test platform designed and developed by the CTTC Optical Networking Area for experimental research on high-performance and large-scale intelligent optical transport networks:

• GMPLS-enabled Ethernet over WSON
• GMPLS Control Plane Emulator with PCE
• Experimental platform for Optical OFDM systems
• Laboratory Equipment
• Channel

Interested in acquiring ADRENALINE testbed know-how, or in technology transfer activities of the Optical Networking Area? The Optical Networking Area offers research-oriented solutions, services and prototypes:

• Solutions and Services
• Technology Showroom
• Grants and Contracts
• Patent Portfolio
• Standardization
• Dissemination

• Five papers accepted at NOC/OCI 2012

May 22nd, 2012 - Five papers have been accepted for presentation at the 17th European Conference on Network and Optical Communications (NOC 2012), that will be held on June 20-22, 2012, at Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain. The papers, carried out within the framework of the Spanish research project DORADO (TEC2009-07995), are titled An On-Line Path Computation Algorithm for a Protected GMPLS Enabled Multi-Layer Network, Design, Deployment and Experimental Assessment of All-Optical Wavelength Conversion in the GMPLS-controlled ADRENALINE Testbed, Low Complexity Bit Rate Variable Transponders Based on Optical OFDM with PAPR Reduction Capabilities, Characterization of a Phase Modulated Coherent Optical OFDM System Based on Hartley Transform, and Dynamic Wavelength Allocation Algorithms for On-Demand Deployment of GMPLS-controlled Virtual WSON Using a VON Resource Broker

• Four papers accepted at ICTON 2012

May 21st, 2012 - Four papers have been accepted for presentation at the 14th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON), that will be held on July 2-5, 2012, in Coventry, UK. The first one, titled Software-defined optical OFDM transmission systems: Enabling elasticity in the data plane, is an invited paper, while the other three Clipping and quantization noise mitigation in intensity-modulated direct detection O-OFDM systems based on the FHT, WDM overlay of distributed base stations in deployed passive optical networks using coherent optical OFDM transceivers and Optical filter cascading effects in a phase modulated coherent optical OFDM transmission system based on Hartley transform are regular papers. All of them have been carried out entirely by CTTC within the framework of the Spanish research project DORADO (TEC2009-07995).

• New Journal Paper

Apr. 23rd, 2012 - The paper A dynamic path computation algorithm for a GMPLS-enabled multi-layer network, by Anica Bukva, Ramon Casellas, Ricardo Martínez and Raul Muñoz, has been accepted for publication at the IEEE/OSA Journal of the Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN).

• New Journal Paper: Computer Networks Special Issue High-performance Switching & Routing

Apr. 17th, 2012 - A new journal paper has been published at the Elsevier Journal of Computer Networks on the Special Issue High-performance Switching & Routing. The paper GMPLS-enabled MPLS-TP/PWE3 node with integrated 10Gbps tunable DWDM transponders: design and experimental evaluation, by Ricard Vilalta, Raul Muñoz, Ramon Casellas and Ricardo Martínez, shows the design and experimental evaluation of a GMPLS-enabled MPLS-TP/PWE3 node with integrated 10Gbps tunable DWDM transponders.

• New video demonstration on MPLS-TP

Apr. 3rd, 2012 - A new demonstration video has been uploaded to ONA Youtube channel. It is titled: Demonstration of a hybrid operated MPLS-TP transport network for Ethernet service. The video has been prepared for the second year audit of the STRONGEST project.

• Accepted postdeadline paper at OFC 2012

Mar. 6th, 2012 -The postdealine paper First Field Trial of an OpenFlow-based Unified Control Plane for Multi-layer Multi-granularity Optical Networks, a joint work lead by KDDI R&D Labs and co-authored by Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) and Centre Tecnolòlgic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) has been accepted as oral for oral presentation at OFC/NFOEC 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

• New Visiting Researchers

Feb. 20th, 2012 - Alberto Castro from the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC) and Ramón Aparicio, Phd, from Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) have joined the CTTC to carry out an experimental research stay in the ADRENALINE testbed on design and experimental evaluation of dynamic routing and wavelength assignment algorithms for GMPLS-controlled optical networks.

• New JOCN Paper

Feb. 17th, 2012 - The paper Distributed Sharing of Functionalities and Resources in Survivable GMPLS-Controlled WSONs', resulting from a joint activity under the framework of the NoE BONE project with DTU Fotonik, Technical University of Denmark, and Scuola Superiore Sant'anna (Italy) has been published in the IEEE/OSA Journal of the Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN).

• New Journal Paper

Jan. 13th, 2012 - A new journal paper has been published at the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics on Quantum Electronics, a work coming out from the colaboration between CTTC, UPC, ACREO and IGNIS/Syntune. The paper Modulated Grating Y-Structure Tunable Laser for Wavelength-Routed Networks and Optical Access, by Josep M. Fabrega, Bernhard Schrenk, Francesc Bonada, José A. Lázaro, Marco Forzati, Pierre-Jean Rigole and Josep Prat, shows the feasibility of fast tunable lasers as high-speed transmitters for wavelength routed networks.

• Six papers accepted at OFC/NFOEC 2012

December 13th, 2011 - Six papers have been accepted for presentation at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) and The National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC), that will be held on March 6-8, 2011, at Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, USA. The first two papers Experimental assessment of a combined PCE-RMA and distributed spectrum allocation mechanism for GMPLS Elastic CO-OFDM Optical Networks, and Interworking between OpenFlow and PCE for Dynamic Wavelength Path Control in Multi-domain WSON are joint works with the KDDI R&D Labs (Japan). The third paper entitled Experimenting Hierarchical PCE Architecture in a Distributed Multi-Platform Control Plane Testbed is resulting from a joint activity under the framework of the ICT IP STRONGEST project with Telefonica I+D (Spain), CNIT (Italy), and Nokia Siemens Networks (Germany).

Finally, the last (but not least) three papers are works carried out entirely by the CTTC Optical Networing Area within the framework of the European research project STRONGEST (ICT-FP7-247674) and the Spanish research project DORADO (TEC2009-07995) entitled Experimental demonstration of a Virtual Optical Network Resource Broker and Compositor for dynamic GMPLS WSON infrastructure services , Experimental Validation / Evaluation of a GMPLS Unified Control Plane in Multi-Layer (MPLS-TP/WSON) Networks , and Experimental demonstration of a hybrid operated MPLS-TP transport network for dynamic Ethernet service provisioning and restoration.

During the last decade, the Internet Protocol (IP) traffic has exploded, due to the ever-increasing fixed (e.g., VDSL or FTTH) and mobile (e.g., UMTS or LTE) access networks, as well as to the predominant role of new services such as video over IP, voice over IP or Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications. Consequently, the IP network layer acts as the convergence layer for all data services transported over optical networks, whose main requirement is twofold: on the one side, they must offer a huge bandwidth to cope with the accelerating growth of IP traffic and, to this end, advances in optical technologies are enabling high-capacity networks in the most cost-effective and energy-efficient fashion. On the other side, they must support emerging service needs such as flexible and granular bandwidth provisioning, dynamic bandwidth-on-demand (BoD), multiple levels of service quality (QoS) and service awareness, as well as the required network survivability. The gap between the services/applications requirements and the transport infrastructure is being narrowed through the next-generation network control and services architecture.

The goal of the Optical Networking Area (ONA) is the evolution of data transport systems towards intelligent (dynamic, self-star), high-capacity, low-cost, and energy-efficient optical transport networks. This research goal is approached in two generic research lines, namely:

* Network control and service management focuses on control and service architectures (both distributed and centralized), protocols, traffic engineering algorithms (for provisioning, protection and restoration strategies), system design, and hardware & software developments for dynamic end-to-end QoS-enabled services in next generation multi-domain and multi-layer converged optical transport networks. Currently, research work aims at enhancing the intelligence, dynamicity, efficiency, robustness, capacity and cost-effectiveness of different transport network infrastructures such as Wavelength Switched Optical Networks (WSON), elastic/flex-grid optical networks and connection-oriented packet-optical transport networks (e.g., MPLS-TP/PWE3, PBB-TE) through the control and management provided by Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS), Path Computation Element (PCE) and OpenFlow technologies.This research line encompasses the design, implementation and performance evaluation of dynamic provisioning, protection and restoration strategies applying traffic engineering objectives and employing complementary mechanisms such as the automated topology and resource discovery, the automated resource reservation, on-line (impairment-aware) routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) routing, modulation and spectrum assignment (RMSA) as well as traffic grooming algorithms, dynamic virtual optical network provisioning, and software defined networks.

*Optical transmission and subsystems is focused on specific physical layer and transmission aspects of optical communications, aiming at investigating, designing and implementing novel adaptive and power/spectral efficient optical transmission systems for high-capacity transport networks. The purpose of this activity is to study advanced modulation formats and flexible technologies, as well as suitable techniques for the mitigation of transmission impairments and the enhancement of system performance enabling network elasticity in the data plane. Specifically, multicarrier modulation techniques, and in particular OFDM, are investigated for software-defined optical transmission based on direct detection and coherent schemes. The objective is to furnish cost-effective solutions for flexible, high-capacity optical networks, optimizing the use of the existing infrastructure and the available resources.

Validation and demonstration are performed by means of the ADRENALINE testbed®, an experimental platform for research in optical networks and systems designed and developed by the CTTC ONA. Both research lines receive feedback from the experimental performance evaluation and assessment activities carried out in the ADRENALINE testbed®, from new developments to exhaustive testing of conceived prototypes.

YouTube Channel with a series of videos demonstrating the developed technologies in the framework of ADRENALINE Testbed®

The activities of the Optical Networking Area are distributed in two broad research lines, namely Optical network control and service management and Optical transmission and subsystems, that encompass several specific scientific and technological objectives:

• Multi-layer Multi-Domain network architecture
• Network protection and restoration
• Routing and wavelength assignment)
• Traffic grooming algorithms
• Self-management and traffic characterization
• Adaptive service provisioning
• Advanced modulation formats and novel multiplexing techniques
• Subsystems for direct detection and coherent transmission
• Optical signal processing
• Optical Performance Monitoring techniques
• Test-bed Modelling and experimental performance evaluation

Public-Funded Projects

The CTTC Optical Networking Area has a wide and solid experience in Spanish and European public-funded R&D projects in optical networking technologies. Since 2002, the Optical Networking Area has participated in the following public-funded R&D projects:

European R&D projects:

Spanish R&D projects:

Catalan R&D projects:

Currently, The Optical Networking Area is leading the fundamental research project DORADO (TEC2009-07995). Previosly, the Optical Networking Area led the fundamental research project RESPLANDOR (TEC-2006-12910), and the Internacional complementary action GAUDI (PCI2006-A7-0715) with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) from Japan.

Publications

The list of dissemination of R&D activities carried out by the Optical Networking Area since 2002 comprises the following items:

• Journal/Magazine Papers
• International Conferences
• National Conferences
• PhD. Theses Dissertations
• MSc. Theses Dissertations
• Invited Speeches, Pannels, and Seminars
• News Magazines and Online

Collaboration Activities

The Optical Networking Area is interested in creating and developing research cooperation with other parties under the framework of R&D projects or bilateral cooperation agreements. This research collaboration contemplate the cooperation of the involved institutions for the exchange of know-how, scientific and technological experience of mutual interest. The main objectives are to produce joint journal/magazine papers and contributions to conferences, exchange of researchers, participation in PhD Thesis evaluation boards, signature of cooperation agreements, etc.:

• Joint research activities
• Research stays
• Visiting Researchers
• Participation in Phd Thesis evaluation boards
• Collaborating Institution in Research Projects
• Cooperation agreements

Organization Activities

Optical Networking Area members actively participate in the organization of R&D activities:

• Technical Program Committee (TPC)
• Chairmanship

Awards

The work, effort and achieved results of the Optical Networking Area and its members has been awarded with the following distinctions ...

Architecture of the GMPLS-controlled Ethernet over WSON Testbed The GMPLS-enables Ethernet over WSON testbed has been conceived to jointly address the ever-growing and bursty bandwidth demands of IP data traffic, and the need of replacing the SONET/SDH nodes in core transport networks with cost-efficient solutions. The architecture leverages connection-oriented Packet Transport Network (MPLS-TP) for Ethernet transport services (enabling flexible electrical packet aggregation and grooming) along with the high-bandwidth offered by the reconfigurable wavelength-switched optical network (WSON) (providing end-to-end all-optical connections), both controlled by the intelligence provided by the GMPLS architecture and framework. In the ADRENALINE testbed, we experimentally assess the application of a unified GMPLS control plane, in which Ethernet and optical layers are controlled by a single instance of the control plane, seamlessly providing reconfigurable Ethernet connections over dynamic lightpaths.

GMPLS Control Plane Testbed with PCE

Architecture of the GMPLS Control Plane Testbed The GMPLS Control Plane Emulator is an extension of the ADRENALINE testbed used for the experimental performance evaluation of dynamic GMPLS and PCE-based traffic engineering algorithms and enhanced protocols (RSVP-TE, OSPF-TE, LMP and PCEP) in complex and diverse network topologies. The GMPLS Control Plane Testbed is composed of 74 GMPLS-enabled connection controllers without associated switching hardware (i.e., emulated switching layer capabilities), each one implemented in a Linux-based router. This set of GMPLS controllers introduces a new degree of flexibility in topology configuration, without restrictions regarding either the targeted optical network topology or the link resources (e.g., number of available wavelengths, fibers, etc.). Additionally, 4 virtualization servers have been introduced in the testbed, allowing to build virtualized GMPLS-enabled controllers in a single Linux-based physical hosts for prototyping and extension development. Advanced and adapted software applications and tools for experimental research have also been designed and deployed, allowing the rapid operation and maintenance of the testbed, including common tasks such as the configuration and parametrization of the network topology, the generation of client requests modeling the behavior of network customers, or the monitoring, data-mining and statistical processing of obtained results.

Experimental platform for Optical OFDM systems

Experimental platform for optical OFDM systems (EOS) OFDM is a multicarrier transmission technique where the signal data stream is transmitted over several lower-rate sub-channels whose sub-carriers are orthogonal to each other, and their spectra partially overlap. The use of OFDM in optical networks mitigates transmission impairments and provides high data rate transmission. Within the Adrenaline test-bed ® we are developing an experimental platform for optical OFDM systems (EOS). Specifically, the design of flexible, power efficient and cost-effective direct detection optical OFDM transmission schemes are studied and assessed. The experimental validation of the investigated modulation schemes based on O-OFDM technique is enabled by the EOS test-bed equipment.

Laboratory Equipment

The Optical Networking Laboratory facilities/equipment includes:

• Optical Communication Test and Measurement equipment
• Optical Network Test and Measurement equipment
• Simulation Lab Equipment
• Hardware design and development
• Passive Components
• Software design and development

• Especific GMPLS-related developments, such as the integration of new, experimental or proprietary control plane extensions both in signaling or routing, along with their experimental assesment and evaluation.
• Conception of adapted or adhoc algorithms and heuristics.
• Acquisition of ADRENALINE Testbed KnowHow, architecture and methodologies.
• Performance Evaluation of given network topologies, scenarios or novel architectures (i.e., based on GMPLS control plane and related technologies)
• Measurement-based research, covering topics such as scalability or stability.
• Software licenses of ADRENALINE Testbed components
• Software applications and techniques for Testbed modelling and maintenance.
• Patent Licenses from the CTTC Optical Networking Area Portfolio.

Technology Showroom

• Developed prototypes:
  • GMPLS-based controller for WSON
  • Path Computation Element (PCE) server
  • Applications for testbed operation
  • Reconfigurable Optical Add Drop Multiplexers (ROADM)
  • All-optical Wavelength Converter
• Work in progress
  • GMPLS-controlled MPLS-TP node with integrated 10Gbps tunable DWDM transponders
• Roadmap:
  • Tunable Chromatic Dispersion Compensator
  • 10Gbps tunable DWDM-based 3R regenerator

Grants and Contracts

The CTTC Optical Networking Area started its technology transfer activites on 2008, being consolidated as strategic partner for Research and Technology Transfer projects in optical networking technologies. Since 2008, the Optical Networking Area has participated in the following industry-funded projects:

Industrial Grants for Research Projects: KDDI R&D Labs: RAION, RAION2, RAION3, RAION4. Technology Transfer Contracts: KDDI Corporation: KDDI-PCE. Service contracts: Telefónica I+D: PHOTONET. Subcontracting contracts for Research Projects : DIMAT: CENIT ENERGOS.

Patent Portfolio

The patent portfolio owned by the CTTC in optical networking topics since 2006 comprises the following items:

• F. Galán, R. Muñoz, Method For Logical Deployment, Undeployment and Monitoring of a Target IP Network, request (PCT/EP2006/009960) 16 October 2006, WIPO Publication with ISR (WO2008/046429) 24 April 2008

Standardization

The Optical Networking Participates in standardization activities:

• Internet Engineerting Task Force (IETF)
  • Path Computation Element (PCE) Working Group

Dissemination

The dissemination of Technology Transfer activities and ADRENALINE testbed services carried out by the Optical Networking Area since 2004 comprises the following items:

• Invited Speeches, Pannels and Events
• New magazines and online

The Optical Networking Area has a full-time research staff composed of PhDs (Research Associate and Post-Doc Researcher) and research-oriented engineers (Research Engineer), combining telecommunications, Electronics and Computer science skills. Additionally, the Optical Networking Area counts with the collaboration of part-time researchers both from Academia and Industry (Associate Researcher). The last, but not least, group of people involved in the Optical Networking Area are the PhD Candidates.

• Research Associate: Raül Muñoz, Ramon Casellas, Ricardo Martínez, Michela Svaluto
• Post-Doc Research Associate: Josep Maria Fàbrega
• Associate Researcher: Gabriel Junyent
• Research Engineer: F. Javier Vílchez, Ricard Vilalta
• Contractor Research Engineer: Javier A. Vázquez
• PhD Candidate: Anica Bukva, Marcin Chochol, Laia Nadal

Do you want to do a M.Sc. or a Ph.D. with us? One of the main goals is to provide undergraduate and pre-doctoral training in an experimental environment, and in R&D activities related with optical networking technology of high scientific-technical reputation.

The Optical Networking Area offers training positions within CTTC undergraduate and pre-doctoral programs:

• PhD Thesis proposals: The CTTC's PhD fellowship program for 2010 is closed.
• Diploma Thesis Proposals: Currently there is no grant to support students doing the Diploma Thesis. If you are interested, please click here for open subjects. Alternatively, you may want to contact us with your proposal.

Interested in a career at the Optical Networking Area? The CTTC periodically publishes a list of open positions for Research Associate and Research Engineer, or by spontaneous application. The CTTC's post-doctoral fellowship program is permanently open. The CTTC is also interested in filling new engineers for temporary positions linked with on-going R&D and technology transfer projects.

Currently, the CTTC offers the following open positions for the Optical Networking Area:

• Post-Doc Positions: For specific information about the offered position click here. If you are interested you can apply here, and contact us by email.
• Spontaneous applications: If you are interested in registering your resume in the CTTC database for future Research Associate and Engineering positions, you can apply here and contact us by email.