Pre-configured cycle protection with optimal wavelength converters

Abstract

The pre-configured protection cycles (\textit{p}-cycles) plays an important role in providing protection to WDM networks. In these networks working paths and protection paths via \textit{p}-cycles should possess 100\% wavelength conversion capability. This will necessitate the presence of wavelength converters at every node for both paths. The use of many converters will make the network highly expensive due to its high cost. We are investigating \textit{p}-cycle protection with the use of optimal number of wavelength converters. It is found that instead of full wavelength conversion, changing the routing of working traffic with lesser converters path and dedicating single wavelength to every protected \textit{p}-cycle will employ lesser converters. This will make the network less costly as fewer converters will be used for establishing working paths and \textit{p}-cycles. However, spare capacity required will increase thereby increasing the fiber length. But this fiber added will cost much lesser as compared to high cost converters.