SDN Controller Automates Multi-Drop Unidirectional Service Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-drop, unidirectional services in optical networks are manually supported, limiting the use of advanced management features like route calculation, mesh restoration, and single-point configuration provided by control planes and Software Defined Networking (SDN).
Innovation Solution
A method for managing multi-drop, unidirectional services using a control plane or SDN controller to compute paths, establish services, and perform mesh restoration, with features like optimal bandwidth utilization and user-designated routing, enabling hitless addition/deletion of drop points and efficient configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual Flexible Cross Connects (FCCs) are provisioned at intermediate nodes to support multi-drop unidirectional services, then the service can be established, but the rich set of management features in control planes and SDN such as route calculation, mesh restoration, and single point configuration cannot be utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control plane or SDN controller as an intermediary that centrally manages multi-drop unidirectional services. This mediator computes paths, establishes services, and handles configuration automatically, eliminating the need for manual FCC provisioning at multiple intermediate nodes while enabling advanced features like route calculation and mesh restoration.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane or SDN controller enables the network to self-configure multi-drop services automatically. The system computes optimal paths, provisions FCCs at appropriate nodes, and manages service establishment without human intervention, thereby achieving automated management and reducing operational complexity.
2Reliability
If manual configuration is used for multi-drop unidirectional services, then implementation is possible, but route calculation and mesh restoration features are not available
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane or SDN controller acts as a mediator that implements mesh restoration logic centrally. When a failure is detected, the controller automatically computes alternate paths and reconfigures the network to restore service, providing robust reliability features that would be extremely complex to implement manually.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane pre-computes alternate paths and restoration strategies before failures occur. This preliminary action enables rapid mesh restoration when failures happen, as the controller already has pre-planned recovery routes ready to be activated, improving both reliability and ease of operation.
3Productivity
If manual FCC provisioning is performed at intermediate nodes, then multi-drop services can be established, but single point configuration and bandwidth optimization are not achievable
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane or SDN controller centralizes configuration management, allowing single-point configuration where service parameters are defined once at the controller. The controller then automatically translates these into appropriate FCC provisions at multiple intermediate nodes, dramatically improving provisioning efficiency while reducing configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane enables dynamic parameter changes for multi-drop services through centralized management. Service parameters such as bandwidth allocation, routing preferences, and drop points can be modified by changing parameters at the controller, which automatically propagates the changes to relevant network elements, improving productivity and simplifying configuration management.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for a multi-drop, unidirectional service in a network include, responsive to a source point, one or more drop points, and a routing consideration, computing a path in the network; causing establishment of the multi-drop, unidirectional service on the computed path, through one of a control plane and a Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller; and managing the multi-drop, unidirectional service through the one of the control plane and the SDN controller. The multi-drop, unidirectional service has the source point at an originating node, one or more drop points at associated intermediate nodes, zero or more intermediate nodes with no drop points, and one or more drop points at associated terminating nodes.