Small Grant for Exploratory Research: Creating a Future Internet Network Architecture with a Programmable Optical Layer

知识价值：该项目为未来的互联网探索了一种变革性的网络架构，它以一种紧密集成的方式真正利用了物理光学层。我们特别寻求一种包含完全可编程光层功能的架构设计。在这个统一的架构平台中，光层成为网络的直接访问组件，能够动态变形以满足新兴应用日益多样化的需求。为了实现这些功能，需要通过在物理层引入可编程的跨层访问，打破目前将底层光传输技术与网络层分离的障碍。该工作将包括设计探索和模拟验证，以评估未来互联网的各种网络应用和流量场景的独特集成架构平台。更广泛的影响：如果成功，我们的探索性努力可以提供一个新的框架，通过创建一个集成的跨层环境，在与新兴技术的不同能力和局限性相一致的背景下，能够更深入地访问物理层，从而具体地弥合未来互联网网络研究工作与底层异构基础之间的差距。该体系结构方法将使网络上层的用户和应用程序能够直接驱动和利用新兴的异构技术，从而将其应用范围扩大到网络社区。在更广泛的范围内，我们将与FIND研究社区密切协调和合作，以促进实现更广泛的建筑研究目标的方式开发这个平台。

Intellectual Merit: The project explores a transformative networking architecture for the future Internet that truly exploits the physical optical layer in a cohesively integrated fashion. We specifically seek to explore an architectural design that encompasses the capabilities of a fully programmable optical layer. Within this unified architectural platform the optical layer becomes a directly accessible component of the network capable of dynamically morphing to meet the increasingly diverse demands of emerging applications. To realize these capabilities will require breaking the barriers currently separating the underlying optical transport technologies from the networking layers by introducing programmable cross-layer access deeply into the physical layer. The effort will include a design exploration and simulation validation for the uniquely integrated architectural platform evaluated across varied networking applications and traffic scenarios envisioned for the future Internet. Broader Impact: If successful, our exploratory effort could provide a new framework for concretely bridging the gap between the future Internet networking research efforts and the underlying heterogeneous substrate by creating an integrative cross-layer environment that enables deeper access to the physical layer in a context consistent with the diverse capabilities and limitations of the emerging technologies. The architectural approach will enable users and applications at the upper layers of the network to directly drive and exploit emerging heterogeneous technologies, thereby broadening the use to the networking community. In our broader outreach we will coordinate and work closely with the FIND research community to develop this platform in a manner that facilitates the realization of the broader architectural research goals.