Fairness Issues of AMLTE: Adaptive Multi-Layer Traffic Engineering with Grooming

Modern metro and particularly core networks consist of multiple layers, where multiple different networking technologies are stacked one over the other. In this paper we assume an IP/MPLS layer over an DWDM layer, both controlled jointly with one vertically integrated GMPLS control plane. To better utilise network resources, smaller, upper-layer traffic streams are multiplexed into higher capacity wavelength paths in distributed way throughout the network. This is referred to as grooming. To make the demands better adapt to changing traffic and network conditions we propose the adaptive multi-layer traffic engineering (AMLTE) that "tailors" i.e., fragments and de-fragments wavelength (lambda) paths in a fully automatic way. Therefore, it adapts very well to changing network and traffic conditions that leads to lower average blocking. In this paper we compare the proposed method to the simple one (that is not adaptive, i.e., has no lambda-path tailoring capability) from two fairness aspects: Bandwidth-Fairness and Distance-Fairness.