Elastic Optical Networking and Routing and Spectrum Assignment

We will present our work on elastic optical networking, an emerging network paradigm for demand-adaptive provisioning with high customizability. This network paradigm addresses the rigidity of the traditional core wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) networks based on the ITU-T grid. One of the major benefits of elastic optical networking is high spectrum efficiency, thanks to adaptive modulation formats and flexible spectrum allocation on fine grid (channel spacing). However, non-uniform spectrum allocations can cause spectrum fragments, which may not be efficiently utilized by other demands. We present a routing and spectrum assignment scheme for elastic optical networking, with both spectrum and computation efficiency.