Two dynamic reconfiguration approaches for optimizing the restoration path length in p-cycle protection network

Abstract

p-cycle is one of the most promising technique of span protection in optical transport networks with mesh-like efficiency and ring-like speed. Longer p-cycle provides better efficiency in term of spare capacity, but longer restored path increases end-to-end propagation delay, which reduces the reliability of the restored network. Hence, minimization of restoration path is a critical issue in p-cycle based protection network. In this paper, two new dynamic reconfiguration approaches namely inter-cycles switching (ICS) and local restoration paths (LRP) are discussed to reduce the length of restored paths in existing optimal spare capacity design of p-cycle. Both proposed approaches are meant to utilize the idle p-cycles thus significantly reducing the path length. This reduction in restored path length also releases the redundant spare capacity.