System and Method for Bandwidth Allocation in an Optical Light-Trail

• US 20070255640A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Gumaste, Ashwin
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0205 Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/021 Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0238 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-many, e.g. multicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0241 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-one, e.g. unicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures

Abstract

A method for allocating the use of an optical light-trail includes calculating a bid at a first node in the light-trail with consideration for the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit particular traffic on the light-trail. The method also includes transmitting the calculated bid to one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail. In addition, the method includes receiving an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail, each acknowledgement indicating whether the transmitted bid is higher or lower than a bid calculated by the node from which the acknowledgment originates. The method also includes determining, based at least on the content of acknowledgements received, whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid.

Claims

1. A method for allocating the use of an optical light-trail, the light-trail enabling a plurality of nodes included in the light-trail to share the use of an optical wavelength to transmit traffic between the nodes included in the light-trail, the method comprising:

calculating a bid at a first node in the light-trail with consideration for the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit particular traffic on the light-trail;

transmitting the calculated bid to one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail;

receiving an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail, each acknowledgement indicating whether the transmitted bid is higher or lower than a bid calculated by the node from which the acknowledgment originates; and

determining, based at least on the content of acknowledgements received, whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the transmitted bid is the highest bid, communicating one or more control messages to the other nodes included in the light-trail indicating that the other nodes should terminate transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting data over the light-trail, wherein the light-trail is divided into a plurality of data slots and wherein data is transmitted for the data slot in the light-trail that was being bid on.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first node, a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determining whether the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node;

if the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node, communicating an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is higher than the first node'"'"'s bid; and

passing the received bid to a third node in the light-trail.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first node, a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determining whether the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node;

if the received bid is less than the bid of the first node, communicating an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is less than the first node'"'"'s bid; and

squashing the received bid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit traffic on the light-trail comprises the latency of the particular traffic to be transmitted from the node and the percentage of traffic buffered at the node with respect to the total available memory in the buffer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail to which the calculated bid is transmitted comprise the node immediately downstream from the first node in the light-trail and the node immediately upstream from the first node in the light-trail.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid comprises determining the type of acknowledgments received.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes comprises receiving a negative acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid higher than the transmitted bid and receiving a positive acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid lower than the transmitted bid.

10. Logic for allocating the use of an optical light-trail, the light-trail enabling a plurality of nodes included in the light-trail to share the use of an optical wavelength to transmit traffic between the nodes included in the light-trail, the logic embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable when executed to:

calculate a bid at a first node in the light-trail with consideration for the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit particular traffic on the light-trail;

transmit the calculated bid to one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail;

receive an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail, each acknowledgement indicating whether the transmitted bid is higher or lower than a bid calculated by the node from which the acknowledgment originates; and

determine, based at least on the content of acknowledgements received, whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid.

11. The logic of claim 10, further operable when executed to, if the transmitted bid is the highest bid, communicate one or more control messages to the other nodes included in the light-trail indicating that the other nodes should terminate transmission.

12. The logic of claim 11, further operable when executed to transmit data over the light-trail, wherein the light-trail is divided into a plurality of data slots and wherein data is transmitted for the data slot in the light-trail that was being bid on.

13. The logic of claim 10, further operable when executed to:

receive, at the first node, a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determine whether the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node;

if the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node, communicate an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is higher than the first node'"'"'s bid; and

pass the received bid to a third node in the light-trail.

14. The logic of claim 10, further operable when executed to:

receive, at the first node, a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determine whether the bid received from the second node is higher than the bid of the first node;

if the received bid is less than the bid of the first node, communicate an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is less than the first node'"'"'s bid; and

squash the received bid.

15. The logic of claim 10, wherein the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit traffic on the light-trail comprises the latency of the particular traffic to be transmitted from the node and the percentage of traffic buffered at the node with respect to the total available memory in the buffer.

16. The logic of claim 10, wherein the one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail to which the calculated bid is transmitted comprise the node immediately downstream from the first node in the light-trail and the node immediately upstream from the first node in the light-trail.

17. The logic of claim 10, wherein determining whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid comprises determining the type of acknowledgments received.

18. The logic of claim 10, wherein receiving an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes comprises receiving a negative acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid higher than the transmitted bid and receiving a positive acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid lower than the transmitted bid.

19. A system for allocating the use of an optical light-trail, the light-trail enabling a plurality of nodes included in the light-trail to share the use of an optical wavelength to transmit traffic between the nodes included in the light-trail, the system comprising a first node in the light-trail operable to:

calculate a bid with consideration for the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit particular traffic on the light-trail;

transmit the calculated bid to one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail;

receive an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail, each acknowledgement indicating whether the transmitted bid is higher or lower than a bid calculated by the node from which the acknowledgment originates; and

determine, based at least on the content of acknowledgements received, whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first node in the light-trail is further operable to, if the transmitted bid is the highest bid, communicate one or more control messages to the other nodes included in the light-trail indicating that the other nodes should terminate transmission.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first node in the light-trail is further operable to transmit data over the light-trail, wherein the light-trail is divided into a plurality of data slots and wherein data is transmitted for the data slot in the light-trail that was being bid on.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first node in the light-trail is further operable to:

receive a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determine whether the bid received from the second node is higher than its own calculated bid;

if the bid received from the second node is higher than its own calculated bid, communicating an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is higher than its own calculated bid; and

passing the received bid to a third node in the light-trail.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first node in the light-trail is further operable to:

receive a bid transmitted by a second node in the light-trail;

determine whether the bid received from the second node is higher than its own calculated bid;

if the received bid is less than its own calculated bid, communicating an acknowledgement to the second node indicating that the second node'"'"'s bid is less than its own calculated bid; and

squashing the received bid.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the criticality of the node'"'"'s need to transmit traffic on the light-trail comprises the latency of the particular traffic to be transmitted from the node and the percentage of traffic buffered at the node with respect to the total available memory in the buffer.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more of the other nodes included in the light-trail to which the calculated bid is transmitted comprise the node immediately downstream from the first node in the light-trail and the node immediately upstream from the first node in the light-trail.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein determining whether the transmitted bid is the highest bid comprises determining the type of acknowledgments received.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein receiving an acknowledgment from one or more of the other nodes comprises receiving a negative acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid higher than the transmitted bid and receiving a positive acknowledgment from any nodes having a calculated bid lower than the transmitted bid.