An Integrated Routing Mechanism for Cross-Layer Traffic Engineering in IP Over WDM Networks

One approach to accommodating IP traffic on a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) network is to construct a logical topology, establishing a set of lightpaths between nodes. The lightpaths carry IP traffic but do not require any electronic packet processing at intermediate nodes, thereby reducing the load on those nodes. When the IP and WDM networks have independent routing functions, however, the lightpaths in the WDM network may not be fully utilized by the IP router. It is therefore necessary to integrate the two routing mechanisms in order to utilize resources efficiently and adapt to changes in traffic. In this paper, the authors propose an integrated routing mechanism for IP over WDM networks.