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的工具的问题，该研究项目提出了开展基础研究，开发一种新的方法RAFONET(有理逼近光网络)用于光网络设计和分析。RAFONET集成了先进的解析和数值技术，将使评估具有大量波长、各种交换范例和相关协议的光网络中的许多难以测量但关键的性能指标成为可能，在统一框架下比以前更快和更准确。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，建议的研究项目将比较OCS和OPS/OBS，以确定例如OCS和OPS/OBS需要多少资源来支持包括周期性(例如，语音)和非周期性(例如，数据)业务的公共输入业务流的集合。在算法领域，PI将研究模拟误差对有理逼近算法性能的影响，并获得例如当采样误差为多项式有界时内插误差的界的一些分析结果。PI还将开发基于例如有理内插和交叉熵的组合的新方法来对抗这种误差。最后，PI将研究这些变换在有理逼近算法中的适用范围和理论验证。ITR项目还将编写关于光网络分析中的数值方法以及其他相关主题的课程材料。

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.