Latest Advances in Software Defined Networking (SDN) for Optical Networks
A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Communication and Network".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2021) | Viewed by 5158
Special Issue Editors
Interests: SDN/NFV; network virtualization; network orchestration; MEC and 5G Networks
Interests: metro and core networks (IP/MPLS, optical transport networks); control plane and management of metro and core networks (SDN, OF, segment routing, GMPLS, ASON, PCE); multilayer and multidomain architectures; networking traffic characterization and dimensioning analysis; access networks (xDSL, HFC, FTTx)
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Software-defined networking (SDN) has been in the market for more than ten years with great technological success, allowing network softwarization and becoming a common tool. Since the introduction of the OpenFlow protocol in 2008, new and more advanced generations of SDN protocols have emerged and have been introduced into transport networks, cross-haul networks, and data center (DC) or campus networks. Despite this optimistic market picture, the crude reality is that network operators are only slowly adopting basic SDN deployments. Facing this reality, it can be claimed that there is no clear path to introduce SDN in operator networks. Several barriers are currently blocking the adoption of this technology. The first SDN adoption barrier is related to network operator culture. While it is clear that network automation is needed for network operators to fully benefit from SDN adoption, to enable such automation, it is critical to define the use cases and workflows with standard interfaces that can operate in greenfield and brownfield deployments. We have observed the confluence of artificial intelligence/machine learning (ML) and 5G networks during the last few years, with ML adoption slowly evolving, but without a clear adoption path. Automation and ML are two sides of the same coin. The applicability of automated decisions in this context is uncertain when dealing with network management challenges, security, optimization, and scalability.
SDN must provide the capabilities to fulfill beyond 5G (B5G) networks' requirements. Current SDN controller solutions, such as ONOS or OpenDayLight, consist of a monolithic software core that can synchronize with other deployed SDN controllers through specific protocols. Some limitations to this current software architecture have been raised, and SDN organizations are slowly looking at possible solutions by completely redesigning SDN controllers. Research on Cloud-native architectures is being addressed at optical networks. Moreover, integration is needed for a proper integration of SDN controllers in network function virtualization (NFV) and mobile edge computing (MEC) orchestration of other technologies, such as P4/OpenFlow-based programmable switches, as well as (FPGA-based) Smart NICs, GPUs, 5G gNodeB BS.
The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not limited to the following topics:
- Evaluation of current SDN controllers for disaggregated optical networks;
- Cloud-native solutions for SDN control and management of optical networks;
- SDN control of multi-layer network, e.g., optical+IP, packet-optical;
- Latest evolution of NothBound interfaces for SDN Controllers, such as ONF Transport API, IETF TEAS models;
- SDN-based security for optical networks;
- SDN-based machine learning algorithms;
- SDN-based optical network automation;
- Integration of SDN-controlled optical networks in beyond 5G networks.
Submissions to the Special Issue should be prepared according to the MDPI Photonics journal's usual standards and will undergo the normal peer-review process.
Dr. Ricard Vilalta
Dr. Victor Lopez
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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