Abstract | We consider the problem of planning a mixed line rate
(MLR) wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transport
optical network. In such networks, different modulation formats
are usually employed to support transmission at different line
rates. Previously proposed planning algorithms have used a
transmission reach bound for each modulation format/line rate,
mainly driven by single line rate systems. However, transmission
experiments in MLR networks have shown that physical layer
interference phenomena are more severe among transmissions
that utilize different modulation formats. Thus, the transmission
reach of a connection with a specific modulation format/line rate
depends also on the other connections that co-propagate with it
in the network. To plan a MLR WDM network, we present
routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithms that
adapt the transmission reach of each connection according to the
use of the modulation formats/line rates in the network. The
proposed algorithms are able to plan the network so as to
alleviate cross-rate interference effects, enabling the
establishment of connections of acceptable quality over paths that
would otherwise be prohibited. |