SDN-enabled S-BVT for Disaggregated Networks: Design, Implementation and Cost Analysis

Software-defined networking (SDN) and disaggregation are key technologies to fulfill the requirements of 5G and beyond optical metro networks. Indeed, open networking solutions will reduce vendor lock-in, achieving increased flexibility and programmability of the network. SDN-enabled sliceable bandwidth/bitrate variable transceivers (S-BVTs) are proposed to be adopted in metro networks in order to provide sustainable capacity growth and hyper-scalability, while enabling disaggregation and network flexibility/reconfigurability. We propose a transceiver modular approach following a pay-as-you grow model, which allows the S-BVT to be adapted to the traffic demand and network requirements. In fact, the S-BVT solution can be seen as a set of bandwidth/bitrate variable transceivers (BVTs) that can be pluggable and multi-vendor. Hence, SDN agents have been developed based on an OpenConfig vendor-neutral data model in order to efficiently reconfigure the S-BVTs fostering network agility and adaptability. Specifically, an optimized agent implementation is experimentally validated in order to increase the network efficiency and reduce the setup configuration time of an optical channel. Two slices/BVTs of 50 Gb/s each are successfully enabled and programmed to establish a high capacity flow of 100 Gb/s. The cost/power consumption of the proposed solution, based on direct detection (DD), is analyzed showing significant savings compared to 100 Gb/s coherent (CO) technology.