DWDM Network Designs and Engineering Solutions

Chapter 6. Network Level Strategies in WDM Network Design: Routing and Wavelength Assignment

In the preceding chapters, we looked at optical networks from the physical layer perspective. This chapter takes a closer look at optical networks, but from a routing and wavelength assignment perspective. Since the seminal paper on WDM networks by Charles Brackett in 1990, optical networks from the network layer perspective have been actively researched.

The next major breakthrough in network layer technology for fiber-optic communication was discussed in the classic July 1992 paper in IEEE Transactions on Communication by Chlamtac et al on Lightpath communication. Lightpath communications seemed to be a convenient way to map data (TDM or plane data frames) ...