Optical networks are becoming an inevitable technology in the next generation Internet. Optical WDM networks require a control network for automatic and rapid configuration. A control plane is under standardization by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) under the name generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS). However, this control plane is unaware of the specifications of the services to be enforced. This work presents a policy-based management architecture adapted to an emerging kind of optical networks called hybrid photonic networks. Contributing to network flexibility, we present extensions to the management plane of these transparent wavelength and switching capable networks that provide the means to leverage their inherent capabilities. The proposed management architecture would provide optical network operators with the possibility to provision optical services, defined through high level service contracts, in an efficient and dynamic way.

The present paper presents a framework for managing quality of service in future WDM core optical networks. These networks solve the bandwidth problem but transmit complexity to the control and management layers. Part of this complexity is handled by the generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) control plane. The latter, however, cannot tackle the new challenges posed by emerging applications requiring more than bandwidth guaranteed connections. In this paper, we first study the requirements of applications and the proposed quality of service in GMPLS, and then, we try to fill up the gap between both, with a focus on the transmission delay. The resulting framework will enable the optical network to meet the exigencies of new services

This document presents provisioning strategies for emerging hybrid optical networks. The idea is to make use of policy-based management that guides the behavior of a network through high-level declarative directives. In this regard and in the context of hybrid optical networks, policy rules are employed as the main means to extend the functionality of the control system and to complement its role in order to achieve the service provisioning.