Control device, path design method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a control device for designing a path to be provided to a user carrying out communicating between a first site and a second site, the control device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information pertaining to the communication by the user; and a path design unit that, on the basis of the information, groups a plurality of paths between the first site and the second site, thereby assigning, as one line, this plurality of paths to the user.

Description

Control device, path design method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to path design in an optical transmission system.

[0002] In conventional optical transmission systems (OLS: Optical Line Systems), optical paths, which are logical communication paths between two points, are often used in a fixed manner. Therefore, the design of optical path passing lines, the design of optical path passing nodes, and the re-establishment of optical paths in part or all sections when a failure occurs are performed manually.

[0003] On the other hand, with the recent trend toward open OLS and the spread of SDN (Software Defined Network), it is now possible to dynamically open or close optical paths, and dynamically switch optical paths, using SDN in optical transmission systems.

[0004] Yokoi Hanami, Koshiji Hiroyuki, Kaneko Yasuharu, Matsukawa Tatsuya, Ishizuka Mika, Hamano Takafumi, "Wavelength Defragmentation Method Considering Optical Path Attributes", IEICE Technical Report, vol. 121, no. 17, NS2021-23, pp. 50-55, May 2021. Anurag Srivastava, ., "Differential delay aware routing for Ethernet over SONET / SDH", Proceedings IEEE 24th Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies, March 2005.

[0005] By shortening the time from the start to the end of optical path usage, the use of optical paths has become more dynamic.In addition, it has become possible to provide services for optical line usage patterns that were previously difficult to provide, such as temporary use or temporary expansion of optical lines.

[0006] On the other hand, it is expected that optical fiber lines will experience demand pressure in certain sections or at certain times, and there is a need for a method to maximize the use of optical fiber line resources. In other words, there is a need to improve the accommodation efficiency (also known as the access rate or utilization efficiency) of optical paths.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide a technique for improving the utilization efficiency of resources in a communication system.

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a control device that designs paths to be provided to a user communicating between a first location and a second location, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the user's communications; and a path design unit that, based on the information, bundles multiple paths between the first location and the second location and assigns the multiple paths to the user as a single line.

[0009] According to the disclosed technology, it is possible to improve the efficiency of resource utilization in a communication system.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a control device 100. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control device 100. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating Example 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating Example 3. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 100.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0012] In the following description, a "line" refers to a communication line provided to a user. A "line" may also be called a "logical line." A "path" refers to a transmission path that constitutes a "line." In this embodiment, since it is assumed that a "path" is realized by optical communication, a "path" may also be called an "optical path." However, the "path" in this embodiment is not limited to an "optical path," and may also be an electrical path.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for realizing a "path" is not limited to a specific method. A "path" may be any of an optical fiber, a core, a wavelength, a partial wavelength band, a band obtained by time division, and a band obtained by code division, or may be something other than these.

[0014] (Outline of the embodiment) In this embodiment, for example, multiple paths provided by WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) are bundled together, and the bundled multiple paths are provided to the user as a single logical line. This allows fragmented resources (such as wavelengths) to be used efficiently. In other words, resource utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0015] It is also possible to dynamically increase or decrease the number of paths provided in a bundle depending on the amount of traffic used by the user, etc. This allows unused resources of one user to be directed to other users who need bandwidth, further improving accommodation efficiency (utilization efficiency).

[0016] An image of the communication system according to this embodiment is shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, one or more transmission devices are provided at each base station, and a control device 100 performs path design and control for bundling multiple paths. In Figure 1, the multiple thin lines connecting the transmission devices indicate that various types of small-unit paths can be provided, for example, using TDM, WDM, or CDM.

[0017] The type of each path is determined by, for example, "quality characteristics: bandwidth, delay, loss, BE," "usage period: reserved (long-term use), on-demand (instant use), spot (use of available resources)," "scale: auto-scale," "reliability: presence or absence of protection and type, presence or absence of momentary outage, same fiber / different fiber, different device," etc.

[0018] In the example of Figure 1, the two bases of a user communicating between them are base A and base B, and transmission device 1 and transmission device 8 each function as a terminal device (e.g., transponder). Transmission device 1 and transmission device 8 each bundle multiple fragmented paths shown by thick lines and provide them to the user as a line. Transmission device 1 and transmission device 8 each provide protection, monitor user communications, and perform traffic monitoring.

[0019] The control device 100 performs calculations such as determining how many paths to bundle and allocate to a user's line for communication. This may be called path design. The control device 100 also monitors telemetry information (e.g., user traffic) and, based on the telemetry information, can increase or decrease the number of paths constituting the user's line or switch a path to another path. The control device 100 can also switch paths based on supply and demand and a set price.

[0020] The configuration and operation of the communication system according to this embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0021] (System Configuration Example) Fig. 2 shows a configuration example of a communication system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, this communication system includes a transmission device 10, a user device 30A, a transmission device 20, a user device 30B, and a control device 100. The transmission device 10 and the user device 30A are provided at a base A, and the transmission device 20 and the user device 30B are provided at a base B.

[0022] Communication is possible between the transmission device 10 and the transmission device 20 via a path. Communication is possible between the transmission device 10 and the user device 30A, and between the transmission device 20 and the user device 30B, both via a line within the base. Note that one or more transmission devices may be provided between the transmission device 10 and the transmission device 20.

[0023] 2, communication for User 1 is performed between User 30A and User 30B via the transmission device 10 and the transmission device 20. User 30A / 30B is, for example, a router / switch / server used by User 1 to provide services.

[0024] The control device 100 is connected to each transmission device via a control line, and is capable of collecting information from each transmission device and controlling each transmission device, such as path setting and path switching. The control device 100 can also obtain information such as requests and settings from users (specifically, user terminals).

[0025] The individual transmission devices used in this embodiment may be existing transmission devices, such as optical transmission devices with WDM functionality.

[0026] (Configuration and operation overview of control device 100) Fig. 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 100 includes an information acquisition unit 110, a path design unit 120, a control execution unit 130, and a storage unit 140. Note that the control execution unit 130 may be provided outside the control device 100.

[0027] The storage unit 140 stores information necessary for path design, such as, for each path, "path ID, path width (bandwidth), path type, two bases connected by the path, whether or not a path is assigned to a user, and if assigned, the user ID of the assigned user." The storage unit 140 also stores information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110, information during calculation, calculation results, etc., and the path design unit 120 performs calculations for path design while reading information from the storage unit 140.

[0028] An example of the operation of the control device 100 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0029] In S1, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires information related to the communication of user 1 as information necessary for path design. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 receives a request from user 1 indicating that "user 1 wishes to communicate with bandwidth X (traffic volume X) between base A and base B." The request may include the period of communication (start date and time and end date and time), the desired communication priority (high priority / low priority), the desired path type, etc. The information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 is stored in the storage unit 140.

[0030] In S2, the path design unit 120 performs path design using the information read from the storage unit 140. For example, the path design unit 120 allocates multiple paths between bases A and A as a single line to the communication of user 1 so as to satisfy the requirements of user 1. At this time, the number of paths to allocate may be determined using the method of Example 1 (method of adding a margin) described later.

[0031] In S3, the control execution unit 130 executes settings for the transmission devices 10 and 20 so that the multiple paths allocated to the user 1 by the path design unit 120 can be bundled and used for communication by the user 1.

[0032] The above example of operation is an example of operation assuming that user 1 starts communication, but even when increasing or decreasing the number of paths after communication has started, the processing is basically performed according to the flow shown in Fig. 4. A specific example will be explained in the example below.

[0033] 2 to 4. In this embodiment, the control device 100 automatically increases or decreases the number of paths provided to user 1. Automatically decreasing the number of paths may be called auto scale-in, and automatically increasing the number of paths may be called auto scale-out.

[0034] More specifically, methods for determining the amount of increase or decrease include, for example, traffic flow rate-based, schedule-based, cost-based, and threshold-based. An example of the operation based on "traffic flow rate" will be described as Example 1, and an example of the operation based on "schedule, cost, and threshold" will be described as Example 2.

[0035] Furthermore, as a path selection method for increasing or decreasing the number of paths, a method based on the line type will be described as Example 3. Examples 1 to 3 described below can be implemented in any combination.

[0036] First, a description will be given of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the control device 100 increases or decreases the number of paths allocated to communication for the user 1 depending on the amount of traffic flowing between the bases of the user 1. That is, in the first embodiment, in a situation where one or more paths for communication have already been allocated to the user 1 and the user 1 is performing communication using these paths, the control device 100 increases or decreases the number of paths allocated to the user 1.

[0037] The operation of the control device 100 in the first embodiment will be described below. The flow of the operation is as shown in FIG. 4, so the explanation will be given along the procedure in FIG.

[0038] <S1> First, the information acquisition unit 110 of the control device 100 acquires the traffic volume T (Gbps) of the communication of user 1. The traffic volume of the communication of user 1 may be acquired by any method. For example, the traffic volume may be acquired from the transmission device 10 / transmission device 20, or from a network monitoring system that monitors the network of each user.

[0039] <S2, S3> Next, the path design unit 120 determines the number of paths to be bundled together as lines for user 1 based on the traffic volume T acquired in S1. The path design unit 120 allocates this number of paths to user 1. In S3, the control execution unit 130 configures the transmission devices 10 / 20 so that user 1 can use the paths allocated to user 1 for communication.

[0040] In the first embodiment, a margin R% is set and stored in the storage unit 140. The margin R% is a margin that takes into consideration future changes in traffic volume used by user 1. For example, when the present is t, "future" refers to the period up to t+K. K may be a value in units of a relatively short time such as seconds, minutes, or hours, or may be a value in units of a relatively long time such as days, weeks, or months.

[0041] The path design unit 120 calculates T(1+R / 100), which is the value obtained by multiplying the traffic volume T (Gbps) obtained in S1 by R% and adding T(R / 100) to T, and determines the number of paths that can provide a bandwidth of at least T(1+R / 100) as the number of paths to be provided to user 1.

[0042] An example of the calculation result when the current traffic volume of user 1 is 80 Gbps and the margin is 20% is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, in this case, the path design unit 120 determines that user 1 will use three 40 Gbps paths.

[0043] <Method of Calculating Margin R> The margin R in the first embodiment may be a predetermined value, or may be calculated by the path design unit 120 of the control device 100 using the following method (1) or (2).

[0044] Calculation method (1): The path design unit 120 calculates future usage volume from the most recent change in user 1's traffic using a first-order approximation, and calculates a margin R from the calculation result. For example, if the most recent change in user 1's traffic per unit time is D, the change in future traffic volume (t+K) relative to the current traffic volume is obtained as D×K. The path design unit 120 calculates R as the ratio of D×K to the current traffic volume, for example.

[0045] Calculation method (2): The path design unit 120 uses a trained neural network (for example, an RNN) model to estimate future usage from the most recent change in traffic, and calculates the margin R from the estimation result.

[0046] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the control device 100 increases or decreases the number of paths to be allocated between bases of the user 1 (the number of paths used by the user 1) based on parameters preset by the user 1. That is, also in the second embodiment, in a situation where one or more paths for communication have already been allocated to the user 1 and the user 1 is performing communication using these paths, the control device 100 increases or decreases the number of paths to be allocated to the user 1.

[0047] The operation of the control device 100 in the second embodiment will be described below. The flow of the operation is as shown in Fig. 4, so the explanation will be given along the procedure in Fig. 4.

[0048] <S1> The information acquisition unit 110 of the control device 100 acquires the above parameters from user 1 and stores the acquired parameters in the storage unit 140. In the following processes of S2 and S3, three examples will be explained according to the type of parameter. Note that the acquisition of the parameters in S1 may be performed only once before the start of communication, or may be performed as needed during communication. <S2, S3: Example 1> In Example 1, the above parameters are a communication schedule for user 1. The path design unit 120 increases or decreases the number of paths allocated to user 1 according to the schedule.

[0049] For example, if T1, T2, and T3 are the times, and User 1's schedule is "T1 to T2: Use 80 Gbps bandwidth, T2 to T3: Use 20 Gbps bandwidth," then the path design unit 120 will allocate three 40 Gbps paths to User 1's communications during the period T1 to T2, similar to Example 1.

[0050] The path design unit 120 allocates one 40 Gbps path to user 1's communications during the period from T2 to T3. At time T2, the control execution unit 130 executes the path configuration allocated by the path design unit 120 on the transmission device 10 / 20. This configuration is for reducing the number of 40 Gbps paths used by user 1 from three to one. In this way, by reducing the number of 40 Gbps paths from three to one, the two 40 Gbps paths can be used for purposes other than user 1's communications.

[0051] <S2, S3: Example 2> In Example 2, assume that the type of path used by user 1 is a spot type. For a spot type path, the cost of the path varies dynamically. For example, the cost may be 10 at one time and 5 at another time, and so on. The cost of the path at each time may be stored in the storage unit 140, or may be acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 in S1.

[0052] In Example 2, the path design unit 120 increases the number of paths when the path cost is equal to or less than a preset threshold, and decreases the number of paths when the path cost is equal to or greater than a preset threshold. The threshold is the parameter acquired in S1.

[0053] For example, suppose that at a certain point in time, when the path cost is cost 1, three 40 Gbps paths are allocated to user 1's communications. If the path cost subsequently becomes cost 2 (> threshold), the path design unit 120 reduces, for example, the number of 40 Gbps paths allocated to user 1 from three to one. When the path cost becomes cost 2 (> threshold), the control execution unit 130 executes the path configuration allocated by the path design unit 120 on the transmission device 10 / 20. This configuration is for reducing the number of 40 Gbps paths used by user 1 from three to one.

[0054] <S2, S3: Example 3 (Common to Examples 1 and 2)> In Examples 1 and 2, when increasing or decreasing the number of paths, the path design unit 120 uses an upper threshold and a lower threshold that are preset by the user 1. These thresholds are acquired from the user 1 by the information acquisition unit 110, for example.

[0055] For example, if the upper threshold is five paths and the path design unit 120 has already assigned five paths to user 1, even if an event occurs that requires an increase in the number of paths, the path design unit 120 will not increase the number of paths.

[0056] Furthermore, for example, if the upper limit threshold is a bandwidth of 200 Gbps, and the path design unit 120 has already assigned multiple paths with a bandwidth of 200 Gbps to user 1, even if an event occurs that requires an increase in the number of paths, the path design unit 120 will not increase the number of paths.

[0057] Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, a user 2 exists in addition to a user 1. As shown in Fig. 6, the user 1 uses a high-priority type line service between the user devices 30A and 30B, and the user 2 uses a high-priority type line service between the user devices 40A and 40B.

[0058] A low-priority line is, for example, a line whose resources are allowed to be reduced (to be used for other higher-priority purposes), whereas a high-priority line is, for example, a line whose resources (bandwidth) are guaranteed up to a predetermined upper limit.

[0059] In the third embodiment, the number of paths for each user is basically increased or decreased by the method of the first or second embodiment, for example.

[0060] However, since there is a limit to the resources (number of paths) between the transmission device 10 and the transmission device 20, when there are multiple users, as shown in FIG. 6, resources are preferentially allocated to high-priority lines.

[0061] For example, assume that a maximum of six paths (e.g., each path is 40 Gbps) are available between transmission device 10 and transmission device 20. In this case, if three paths are assigned to user 1 (high-priority line) and three paths are assigned to user 2 (low-priority line), and the path design unit 120 decides to add one path to user 1, the path design unit 120 deletes one path from user 2 and assigns the deleted path to user 1. Figure 6 shows the state after control based on this allocation.

[0062] Furthermore, the path design unit 120 allocates resources (paths) deleted from user 1 when the traffic volume of user 1 is low only to users using low-priority line services, such as user 2. This allows the path design unit 120 to re-allocate the resources (paths) deleted from user 1 to user 1 reliably when the traffic volume of user 1 increases.

[0063] (Hardware Configuration Example) The control device 100 described in this embodiment can be realized, for example, by causing a computer to execute a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine on a cloud.

[0064] That is, the control device 100 can be realized by using hardware resources such as a CPU and memory built into a computer to execute a program corresponding to the processing performed by the control device 100. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as a portable memory) and can be saved or distributed. The program can also be provided via a network such as the Internet or email.

[0065] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer. The computer in Fig. 7 includes a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, and the like, all of which are interconnected by a bus BS. The computer may further include a GPU.

[0066] The program that realizes the processing on the computer is provided by a recording medium 1001, such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. When the recording medium 1001 storing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

[0067] The memory device 1003 reads and stores the program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when an instruction to start the program is received. The CPU 1004 realizes functions related to the control device 100 in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network, etc. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like according to the program. The input device 1007 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, buttons, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input various operation instructions. The output device 1008 outputs the results of calculations.

[0068] (Summary, Effects, etc. of the Embodiments) As described above, the techniques described in the present embodiments can improve the efficiency of resource utilization in a communication system.

[0069] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0070] <Additional Notes> (Additional Item 1) A control device that designs paths to be provided to a user communicating between a first location and a second location, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, wherein the processor acquires information about the user's communications, and based on the information, bundles multiple paths between the first location and the second location and assigns the multiple paths to the user as a single line. (Additional Item 2) The control device according to Additional Item 1, wherein the processor increases or decreases the number of paths to be assigned to the user based on the user's communication traffic volume, the user's line usage schedule, or path costs. (Additional Item 3) The control device according to Additional Item 2, wherein the processor increases or decreases the number of paths within a preset threshold range. (Additional Item 4) The control device according to Additional Item 2, wherein, when increasing or decreasing the number of paths based on the traffic volume, the processor determines the number of paths using the traffic volume and a margin calculated from a change in the user's traffic volume. (Supplementary Item 5) The control device according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 4, wherein, when increasing the number of paths in a high-priority line, the processor assigns a path deleted from a plurality of paths constituting a low-priority line to the high-priority line. (Supplementary Item 6) The control device according to Supplementary Item 5, wherein the processor assigns a path deleted from the high-priority line to only the low-priority line. (Supplementary Item 7) A path design method executed by a control device that designs paths to be provided to a user communicating between a first location and a second location, the path design method comprising the steps of: acquiring information regarding the user's communications; and bundling a plurality of paths between the first location and the second location based on the information, and assigning the plurality of paths to the user as a single line. (Supplementary Item 8) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the control device according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 6.

[0071] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0072] 10, 20 Transmission device 30A, 30B, 40A, 40B User device 100 Control device 110 Information acquisition unit 120 Path design unit 130 Control execution unit 140 Storage unit 1000 Drive device 1001 Recording medium 1002 Auxiliary storage device 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input device 1008 Output device

Claims

1. A control device that designs paths to be provided to a user communicating between a first location and a second location, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the user's communications; and a path design unit that bundles multiple paths between the first location and the second location based on the information, and assigns the multiple paths to the user as a single line.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said path design unit increases or decreases the number of paths to be assigned to said user based on the amount of communication traffic of said user, the line usage schedule of said user, or the cost of the paths.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the path design unit increases or decreases the number of paths within a range of a preset threshold value.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein when the number of paths is increased or decreased based on the traffic volume, the path design unit determines the number of paths using the traffic volume and a margin calculated from the change in the traffic volume of the user.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said path design unit, when increasing the number of paths in a high-priority line, allocates paths deleted from a plurality of paths constituting a low-priority line to said high-priority line.

6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein said path design unit allocates the path deleted from said high-priority line only to said low-priority line.

7. A path design method executed by a control device that designs a path to be provided to a user communicating between a first location and a second location, comprising the steps of: acquiring information regarding the user's communications; and bundling multiple paths between the first location and the second location based on the information, and assigning the multiple paths to the user as a single line.

8. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.