Dynamic openflow-controlled optical packet switching network

This paper presents and experimentally demonstrates the generalized architecture of Openflow-controlled optical packet switching (OPS) network. Openflow control is enabled by introducing the Openflow/OPS agent into the OPS network, which realizes the Openflow protocol translation and message exchange between the Openflow control plane and the underlying OPS nodes. With software-defined networking (SDN) and Openflow technique, the complex control functions of the conventional OPS network can be offloaded into a centralized and flexible control plane, while promoted control and operations can be provided due to centralized coordination of network resources. Furthermore, a contention-aware routing/rerouting strategy as well as a fast network adjustment mechanism is proposed and demonstrated for the first time as advanced Openflow control to route traffic and handle the network dynamics. With centralized SDN/Openflow control, the OPS network has the potential to have better resource utilization and enhanced network resilience at lower cost and less node complexity. Our work will accelerate the development of both OPS and SDN evolution.