Packet-optical Add/Drop multiplexer technology: A pragmatic way to introduce optical packet switching in the next generation of metro networks
This paper describes a packet-optical add/drop multiplexer technology designed for Metro-ring networks to reduce cost and power consumption with a network efficiency comparable to a full-electronic Ethernet solution. A demonstrator including three nodes is shown.
Performance assessment of a fast optical add-drop multiplexer-based metro access network with edge computing
Next-generation metro access nodes with edge computing need to be redesigned to co-allocate advanced optical technologies, computing, and storage resources to support the upcoming multiple applications in 5G. In this paper, we present a novel metro access edge computing node based on a fast optical add-drop multiplexer with submicrosecond reconfiguration and control for low-latency operation. We investigate the network performance, the location of the edge computing nodes, and the computing resources dimensioning and utilization in order to fulfill the stringent latency requirement in 5G networks. Network function virtualization and network slicing have been considered in the model to emulate the realistic network operation. Optimization of the network, node location, and computing resources in terms of latency and packet loss ratio is numerically investigated via the OMNeT++ simulator under three different types of 5G applications (Massive Internet of Things, content delivery network, and loss-sensitive traffic). Considering a typical metro access network topology with 20 nodes covering a population of around 1 million, numerical results show that less than 200 µs latency is guaranteed for 5G network applications by deploying more than 6 edge computing nodes with 80 servers for each node.
Fast switching characteristics of a widely tunable laser transmitter
We demonstrate a widely tunable laser transmitter that accesses 32 ITU channels with 100-GHz spacing and switches between all channel combinations in less than 45 ns. The compact module uses commercially available electronic components. We investigate the electrical and thermal properties of the laser and the tuning section driver. The experiments show that a low output impedance driver circuit produces faster switching times. Also, temperature variation of the laser limits the wavelength accuracy of the switching. Finally, we present the correlation between switching times and the laser tuning currents.