Subchannel security at the optical layer

Abstract

The present invention includes various novel systems and methods for dynamically modifying WDM transmission and receive steps (individually or in combination), including encoding client signals, mapping them to subchannels within or across ITU channels, modulating them onto subcarrier frequencies, and multiplexing them together for optical transmission. By dynamically modifying one or more of these processing steps over time (as well as encrypting underlying client signals), additional security is provided at the physical (optical) layer of an optical network, thereby greatly enhancing overall network security. Tunable lasers are employed to generate respective subcarrier frequencies, which represent subchannels of an ITU channel to which client signals are mapped. Client circuits are divided and combined with one another before being mapped to individual subchannels within and across ITU channels, thereby facilitating desired optical routing, switching, concatenation and protection of the client circuits mapped to those subchannels across the nodes of a WDM network.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 063,955, filed Oct. 25, 2013, entitled “SUBCHANNEL SECURITY AT THE OPTICAL LAYER”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 031,594, filed Feb. 21, 2011, entitled “Subchannel Security at the Optical Layer”, which claims the benefit, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of (i) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 306,925, filed Feb. 22, 2010, entitled “Subchannel Security at the Optical Layer”, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of Art[0003]The present invention relates generally to network optimization, and more particularly to non-disruptive optimization of SDN Flows across different data transfer technologies based on real-time monitoring of application-level metadata and infrastructure-level network metrics.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Software-defined networking (SD...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0029]In accordance with the present invention, various embodiments of novel methods and architectures are disclosed to address these problems. A System Environment Monitor is employed to extract from the network both real-time and historical Network Metrics at the Infrastructure Layer, as well as Application Metadata at the Application Layer. Network analytics facilitate decisions based upon the differing characteristics of Application Components and lower-level hardware components across multiple DTTs. In response, an SDN Controller generates modified sets of SDN Flows, and implements them in real time across a mixed technology (multi-DTT) network in a manner that avoids disrupting existing SDN Flows and other real-time network traffic.

[0030]This real-time automated feedback loop facilitates optimizations of SDN Flows to minimize network congestion and achieve various desired QoS objectives that are relevant to particular applications (Application Optimization), as well as to the entire system (System Optimization). Predictive Optimization is also employed based on the historical performance of applications and lower-level network hardware over time, using simulation to determine whether proposed changes to a set of SDN Flows yields an overall improvement in network performance or efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

At a more conceptual level, purchasing a popular DVD on “Black Friday” at Amazon, for example, may take longer than on other days due to an unusually high number of concurrent users.

These “solutions,” however, fail to address certain significant realities of existing SDN networks.

One such reality is the fact that implementing revised SDN Flows often disrupts existing SDN Flows (to be modified), as well as other real-time network traffic.

Applications running on the network may, as a result of these attempted optimizations, experience downtime or errors that, in some cases, can be quite costly.

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