GMPLS-based micro-mobility for next-generation mobile broadband IP networks

The ITU-T defined next generation network (NGN) architecture designates the resource admission control function to perform the application-driven Quality of Service (QoS) control across access and core networks. The Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) was introduced by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to cope with new traffic engineering challenges in fast optical networks and provide them with reliable end-to-end QoS mechanisms. However, an actual Connection Admission Control (CAC) implementation inside the resource reservation protocol - traffic engineering extension (RSVP-TE) in GMPLS networks does not provide the ability of effective decision making, since the applied threshold CAC lacks of the capability to consider QoS policies on GMPLS network nodes. This prevents an effective end-to-end QoS control in a fully dynamic, application driven Label Switched Path (LSP) setup scenario. This work presents a specific implementation of fuzzy-CAC operating over an RSVP-TE agent in GMPLS network domain. This fuzzy-CAC implementation is applied to a testbed where a client application requests a real-time data transfer through a GMPLS network, which results in dynamic LSP setup and exclusion. The admission control is performed upon service request based on QoS class requirements and network resource availability. The differentiated traffic treatment on per-flow basis is realized through employment of IF-THEN rule based expert knowledge. Effective traffic differentiation is achieved in a multi-service network scenario and thus it validates fuzzy-CAC as candidate for RSVP-TE protocol enhancement for application driven QoS provisioning in GMPLS networks.

When nodes that support generalized multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS) are introduced into existing networks the GMPLS nodes co-exist with conventional Internet protocol (IP) and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) (IP+MPLS) nodes that do not support GMPLS. In this case, the GMPLS nodes must interwork with IP+MPLS nodes. This paper proposes an architecture for GMPLS and IP+MPLS interworking based on extended routing and signaling. In the extended routing, information about some nodes and links in a GMPLS network emulates information that can be understood by IP+MPLS nodes. The emulated information is advertised to the IP+MPLS network. In the extended signaling, MPLS signaling packets are forwarded to the GMPLS data plane. An MPLS label switched path (LSP) is established through a GMPLS LSP tunnel. As a result, the IP+MPLS network can interwork with the GMPLS network without upgrading the IP+MPLS nodes. We developed GMPLS prototype nodes that support this interworking architecture and show interworking experimental results.

Due to the explosive growth of real-time and multimedia-oriented applications and services on the Internet, network survivability becomes much more important than before. Future mobile broadband IP networks will be generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) based. Many protection and restoration (P&R) techniques have been developed to improve survivability in GMPLS-based IP networks. We propose an efficient two-level P&R scheme for GMPLS-based IP networks. In the scheme, LSP (label switched path) P&R is the first level and LSP segment P&R is the second level. An LSP protection path selection (LPPS) algorithm has been designed for the proposed scheme. The protection path establishment acceptance rate can be improved in the scheme. The proposed scheme achieves better quality of service (QoS) and reliability guarantees. In addition, a shorter failure recovery time can be obtained.

Generalized multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS) has emerged as a very promising protocol technology for the next generation optical networks. GMPLS successfully combines the best features of IP and ATM in terms of quality of service (QoS), privacy, flexibility and scalability. GMPLS introduces enhancements to the existing IP routing and signaling protocols by supporting not only networks that perform packet switching (IP), but also networks that perform switching in the time (TDM), wavelength (DWDM), and space domain (circuit switching). This paper discusses the design and implementation of a modeling tool for analysis of GMPLS optical switching routers (GOSR). A model of the GOSR has been built using OPNETTM modeling and simulation platform, in lieu of a prototype. The virtual model contains all the necessary GMPLS functions of an optical backbone router. The description on the design features and the key implementation elements of the internal mechanism of GOSR forms the introduction of this paper. The virtual model of the GOSR has the capability of giving a more integrated and realistic simulation on wavelength routing, wavelength assignment, wavelength switching, dynamic label switching path (LSP) setup and tear down, and blocking mechanism of GMPLS light paths. The OPNET process modeling methodology was used to develop the virtual GOSR models. The simulation results obtained include the blocking rate, OSPF-TE bandwidth analysis, and CPU utilization. The modeling environment developed in this project provides a simulation platform for further development and future enhancement of GMPLS protocols, routing protocols, and optical switching router implementations.

In this paper, we studied survivability in general multi‐protocol label switching (GMPLS) multi‐layered optical networks and proposed a novel mixed shared protection algorithm (MSPA) based on the integrated layered graph (ILG) to tolerate single‐fibre link failure. The ILG is composed of one virtual topology layer (VTL), corresponding to IP/MPLS layer; multiple wavelength‐plane layers (WPLs), corresponding to the wavelength‐division multiplexing (WDM) optical layer; and some virtual links that connect the VTL to each WPL in order to solve the problem on routing, wavelength assignment and low‐speed traffic grooming. For every connection request, the MSPA first computes a single‐hop or multi‐hop label switching path (LSP) pair, involving a working LSP and a physical link‐disjoint backup LSP in the VTL. If the LSP pair is not found in the VTL, the MSPA computes the new LSP pair in the WPL. Conversely, if the new LSP pair is not detected in the WPL, the MSPA computes the hybrid multi‐hop LSP pair in the ILG. In the MSPA, if the two working LSPs are in physical link‐disjoint, their corresponding backup LSPs can share the backup bandwidth. In addition, the working LSPs and the backup LSPs can also share the same mixed of wavelength, in which the different bandwidths can be assigned to different working and backup LSPs. Simulation results show that, compared to previous algorithm, the MSPA can obtain a better bandwidth utilisation ratio (BUR) with a lower blocking probability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

QoS routing in GMPLS-capable integrated IP/WDM networks with router cost constraints

Chapter 3 - From MPLS to GMPLS

A multicode variable-weight (MCVW) technique is proposed for generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) optical networks in order to support multirate and integrated multimedia services. Under this technique, the number of simultaneously assigned codewords to each user is a function of the data rate of the service class, while quality-of-service differentiation is achieved using variable-weight codewords for each service class. The traffic behavior of the network is modeled using a multiservice loss model, and the probability density functions of the number of busy codes in the fiber link are obtained by the Kaufman–Roberts algorithm. In order to analyze the performance of the proposed multiservice multicode GMPLS optical network, several measures are derived and investigated, specifically, the bit-error rate, probability of degradation, blocking probability, and steady-state throughput. These performance measures are obtained for two different receiver structures, namely, correlation receivers with and without hard limiters. The performance of our optical GMPLS network, based on the multicode switching path, is compared with that of traditional optical GMPLS networks, based on the label switching path. The results show the superiority of the proposed technique when compared to traditional ones.

The ability to compute shortest constrained Traffic Engineering (TE) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) in Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) networks across multiple domains (where a domain is referred to as a collection of network elements within a common sphere of address management or path computational responsibility such as IGP areas and Autonomous Systems) has been identified as a key requirement . This document specifies a procedure relying on the use of multiple Path Computation Elements (PCEs) in order to compute such inter-domain shortest constrained paths along a determined sequence of domains, using a backward recursive path computation technique while preserving confidentiality across domains, which is sometimes required when domains are managed by different Service Providers.

A Path Computation Element (PCE) based architecture has been specified for the computation of Traffic Engineering (TE) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) in Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) networks in the context of single or multiple domains (where a domain refers to a collection of network elements within a common sphere of address management or computational responsibility such as IGP areas and Autonomous Systems). Path Computation Clients (PCCs) send computation requests to PCEs, and these may forward the requests to and cooperate with other PCEs forming a path computation chain. In PCE-based environments, it is thus critical to monitor the state of the computation chain for troubleshooting and performance monitoring purposes: liveness of each element (PCE) involved in the PCE chain, detection of potential resource contention states and statistics in term of computation times are examples of such metrics of interest. This document specifies procedures and extensions to the Path Computation Element Protocol (PCEP) in order to gather such information.

Internet traffic engineering using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS)

This paper proposes the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)-based hierarchical Mobile IP architecture to allow frequent and seamless location management It proposes that the label distribution protocol (LDP) can be applied to set up the label switched path (LSP) tunnels between the mobile agents (that is, foreign agents and home agents). It means that the IP-in-IP tunnels can be replaced by one or multiple LSP on the MPLS network. When a mobile node (MN) migrates to the adjacent subnet, it performs a regional registration and partial LSP re-establishment method. So our scheme can reduce LSP setup latency more than the existing integration of Mobile IP and MPLS. We also propose a multicast re-routing scheme to support smooth handover on the MPLS-based hierarchical Mobile IP network after analyzing several LSP re-routing schemes.

Background: Machine learning methods are increasingly being used in mobile network optimization systems, especially next-generation mobile networks. The need for enhanced radio resource allocation schemes, improved user mobility and increased throughput, driven by a rising demand for data, has necessitated the development of diverse algorithms that optimize output values based on varied input parameters. In this context, we identify the main topics related to cellular networks and machine learning algorithms in order to pinpoint areas where the optimization of parameters is crucial. Furthermore, the wide range of available algorithms often leads to confusion and disorder during classification processes. It is crucial to note that next-generation networks are expected to require reduced latency times, especially for sensitive applications such as Industry 4.0. Research Question: An analysis of the existing literature on mobile network load balancing methods was conducted to identify systems that operate using semi-automatic, automatic and hybrid algorithms. Our research question is as follows: What are the automatic, semi-automatic and hybrid load balancing algorithms that can be applied to next-generation mobile networks? Contribution: This paper aims to present a comprehensive analysis and classification of the algorithms used in this area of study; in order to identify the most suitable for load balancing optimization in next-generation mobile networks, we have organized the classification into three categories, automatic, semi-automatic and hybrid, which will allow for a clear and concise idea of both theoretical and field studies that relate these three types of algorithms with next-generation networks. Figures and tables illustrate the number of algorithms classified by type. In addition, the most important articles related to this topic from five different scientific databases are summarized. Methodology: For this research, we employed the PRISMA method to conduct a systematic literature review of the aforementioned study areas. Findings: The results show that, despite the scarce literature on the subject, the use of load balancing algorithms significantly influences the deployment and performance of next-generation mobile networks. This study highlights the critical role that algorithm selection should play in 5G network optimization, in particular to address latency reduction, dynamic resource allocation and scalability in dense user environments, key challenges for applications such as industrial automation and real-time communications. Our classification framework provides a basis for operators to evaluate algorithmic trade-offs in scenarios such as network fragmentation or edge computing. To fill existing gaps, we propose further research on AI-driven hybrid models that integrate real-time data analytics with predictive algorithms, enabling proactive load management in ultra-reliable 5G/6G architectures. Given this background, it is crucial to conduct further research on the effects of technologies used for load balancing optimization. This line of research is worthy of consideration.

This document describes extensions to Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) Resource ReserVation Protocol - Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) signaling required to support mechanisms for the establishment and maintenance of GMPLS Traffic Engineering (TE) Label Switched Paths (LSPs), both packet and non-packet, that traverse multiple domains. For the purpose of this document, a domain is considered to be any collection of network elements within a common realm of address space or path computation responsibility. Examples of such domains include Autonomous Systems, IGP areas and GMPLS overlay networks.

In certain networking topologies, it may be advantageous to maintain associations between endpoints and key transit points to support an instance of a service. Such associations are known as Calls. A Call does not provide the actual connectivity for transmitting user traffic, but only builds a relationship by which subsequent Connections may be made. In Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) such Connections are known as Label Switched Paths (LSPs). This document specifies how GMPLS Resource Reservation Protocol - Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) signaling may be used and extended to support Calls. These mechanisms provide full and logical Call/Connection separation. The mechanisms proposed in this document are applicable to any environment (including multi-area), and for any type of interface: packet, layer-2, time- division multiplexed, lambda, or fiber switching. [STANDARDS-TRACK]