CONNECTION MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIWAVELENGTH OPTICAL NETWORKING

This paper describes the connection management research done by the ne twork control and management (NC&M) task force under the multiwaveleng th optical networking (MONET) program. MONET is sponsored by the Defen se Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Government Dep artment of Defense, with participation from Bellcore, AT&T, Lucent Tec hnologies, several government agencies, and regional Bell operating co mpanies. MONET's vision is to develop a flexible reliable high-capacit y highperformance cost-effective national optical network based on mul tiwavelength fiber-optic technology. As an important component in real izing this vision, the MONET program includes the architecture and des ign of a prototype network control and management system for MONET's r econfigurable wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) all-optical netwo rk. The primary objectives of the prototype research work are to devel op the architecture and framework for managing national-scale transpar ent reconfigurable WDM optical networks and to demonstrate the feasibi lity of the NC&M prototype system in a field experiment network in Was hington, DC. This prototype system will allow the program participants to conduct experiments and gain experience in the management and oper ations of reconfigurable optical networks. This paper describes the co nnection management aspects of the prototype system, addressing issues such as the management architecture, information model, and provision ing algorithms of the prototype management system. The description rep resents a snapshot of the state of the prototype system as of the end of 1997.