[CAnet - news] Reality check on dynamic agile optical networks

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[Over the past couple of days NASA Research and Engineering Network hosted
an excellent workshop (http://www.nren.nasa.gov/workshop8/) to develop a
roadmap for next generation optical networking.  Representatives from many
of the world's leading research optical testbeds and networks were present
at the workshop and contributed to the discussion.

One of the best presentations was given by Bob Feuerstein of Level3
(http://www.nren.nasa.gov/workshop8/ppt/Level3_ONT2_7_v1.ppt) which provided
a well argued reality check in terms of agile dynamic optical networks.
Basically he stated that the reason customers buy optical network services
is for reliability and security where they do their own routing and
restoration at layer 3. Protected wavelengths are poppycock he claimed. He
also stated there is no demand for wavelengths on demand and all optical
switching is hooey.
 
These comments run counter to many of the current optical research
initiatives. In many ways current optical network research echoes much of
the previous work done with ATM  such as bandwidth on demand (aka SVCs), QoS
routing or scheduling and reservation for high bandwidth applications. These
things never took off with ATM and there is no evidence that they will be
any more readily accepted with optical networks. 

One of the fundamental assumptions of current optical network research is
that will be lots of idle optical circuits available from which users can
request bandwidth upon demand.  But as Dr Feurstein pointed out the telco
industry, like every other industry, is now only provisioning services just
in time, as customers pay for them. The days of monopoly telephone companies
with over engineered network capacity to provide bandwidth on demand are
long gone.

But we did learn some valuable lessons from the days of ATM - lessons which
I think we can apply to the new optical networks.  The two most important
tools that came out of ATM are MPLS-TE and VPNs.  In my opinion the exciting
research opportunities in optical network therefore is building on what we
learned with ATM and exploring next generation Traffic Engineering tools and
VPNs.

As many of you know CANARIE and our research partners around the world have
been exploring these concepts with user controlled lightpaths (UCLP) for
user controlled traffic engineering and next generation VPNs - which we have
labeled Articulated Private Networks (APNs).
(http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/uclp/UCLP_Roadmap.doc) 

To my mind the low hanging fruit for optical networks is in increasing
demand by many organizations to own and operate their own wide area network.
So the more we can provide tools for them to manage these networks
independent of any central network management organization the better.  This
will mean lower OpEx costs for the wavelength and fiber providers and new
business opportunities to provide outsourcing to manage these customer owned
and controlled networks.

A good example of this trend, is the announcements made at the NASA workshop
by many government agencies such as USGS, NASA, DoE and other large science
departments to acquire their own wavelengths on the National LambadRail.
Each agency will have its own private optical network - and now they need
the tools to do their own add/drop, grooming, cross connect, etc independent
of the other users on the network. This is exactly what UCLP is designed
for.

The growth of the National LambdaRail to now include many agency networks is
extremely exciting and I think genuinely represents the future of
networking, optical and otherwise. NLR now has well over a dozen
"condominium" customers on their network- all with their own individual
wavelengths.  --- BSA]




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These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect
those  of the CANARIE board or management.

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[email protected]
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