Scalable multi-layer GMPLS networks based on hierarchical cloud-routers

This paper proposes the hierarchical cloud-router network (HCRN) to solve the problem of overcoming the scalability limit in a multi-layer generalized multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS) network. We define a group of nodes as a virtual node, called cloud-router (CR). A CR consists of some number of nodes or lower-level CRs. A CR is modeled as a multiple switching capability (SC) node when it includes more than one kind of SC, which is fiber SC, lambda SC, timedivision multiplexing (TDM) SC, packet SC, even if there are no actual multiple-SC nodes in the CR. The CR advertises its abstracted CR internal structure which is abstracted link state information inside the CR. A large-scale, multi-layer network can then achieve scalability by advertising the CR internal structure throughout the whole network. In this scheme, the ends of a link connecting between two CRs are defined as interfaces of the CRs. We adopt the CR internal cost scheme between CR’s interfaces to abstract the network. This CR internal cost is advertised outside the CRs via the interfaces. Our performance evaluation has shown that HCRN can operate a larger number of nodes than a normal GMPLS network. It can also bear more frequent network topology changes than a normal GMPLS network.