ITR: RAFONET - A Versatile and Scalable Approach for Optical Network Design and Analysis

为了解决在相对较新的光网络领域中缺乏通用和可扩展工具的问题，该研究项目建议进行基础研究，开发一种称为RAFONET（理性逼近光网络）的新方法，用于光网络设计和分析。RAFONET集成了先进的分析和数值技术，将使在具有大量波长、各种交换范式和相关协议的光网络中评估许多难以测量但至关重要的性能指标成为可能，比以前在统一框架下更快、更准确。在应用领域，pi将应用RAFONET方法来评估具有光电路交换（OCS）的光网络，例如波长路由或光分组/突发交换（OPS/OBS）。此外，拟议的研究项目将比较OCS和OPS/OBS，以确定OCS和OPS/OBS需要多少资源来支持一组常见的输入流量流，包括周期性（如语音）和非周期性（如数据）流量。在算法领域，pi将研究仿真误差对有理逼近算法性能的影响，并获得一些插值误差边界的解析结果，例如当采样误差以多项式为界时。pi还将开发基于合理插值和交叉熵相结合的新方法来对抗此类误差。最后，pi将研究在有理逼近算法中应用的变换的适用范围和理论验证。ITR项目还将开发有关光网络分析数值方法的课程材料，以及其他相关主题。

To address the lack of versatile and scalable tools in the relatively new optical networking field, the research project proposes to conduct fundamental research on developing a novel approach called RAFONET (Rational Approximation For Optical Networks) for optical network design and analysis. RAFONET, which integrates advanced analytic and numerical techniques, will make it possible to evaluate many hard-to-measure yet crucial performance metrics in optical networks with a large number of wavelengths, various switching paradigms and associated protocols much faster and more accurate than before under a unified framework.In the application area, the PIs will apply the RAFONET approach to evaluate optical networks with optical circuit-switching (OCS) e.g., wavelength routing, or optical packet/burst switching (OPS/OBS). In addition, the proposed research project will compare OCS and OPS/OBS to determine, for example, how much resources is needed by OCS, and OPS/OBS to support a set of common input traffic streams that include periodic (e.g., voice) and aperiodic (e.g., data) traffic. In the algorithmic area, the PIs will study the effects of simulation errors on the performance of the rational approximation algorithm, and obtain some analytical results in bounding the interpolation errors when the sampling error is bounded by a polynomial for example. The PIs will also develop new methods based on, e.g., the combination of rational interpolation and cross entropy to combat such errors. Finally, the PIs will research the applicable scope and theoretic validation of the transformations applied in rational approximation algorithm. The ITR project will also develop course materials on numerical methods in optical network analysis, as well as other related topics.