Simulation Tools for Research and Education in Optical Networks
SYMPOSIUM

26-27th October, 2005

Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne
Brest (France)

Chairman : bruno.fracasso@enst-bretagne.fr

General background
Technologies and architectures for all-optical telecommunication networks have been a topic of intense research for more than ten years now, dealing with issues such as : optical transmission at the physical layer, optically transparent network areas, protection and restoration schemes, multiple switching granularity (i.e. WDM and OTDM) and inter-networking between transport and control layers. While optical WDM transmission has been shown to be efficient and cost-effective in long-haul links, the situation is different in metro and access networks, where the unpredictable nature of traffic demands as well as more stringent economics and competing technologies have precluded wide-scale deployment of optics in these areas. The e-Photon/ONe field of activities is a good illustration of this wide spectrum of knowledge and expertise. This European network of excellence involves about 40 institutions including universities, research centres, operators and manufacturers to promote research and education integration in optical networking in Europe.

Focus and objectives
In this framework, the design of building blocks for optical networks has reached a stage where computer simulation has become a necessity, from the lower-level description (e.g. link budget) to higher-level network concepts such as Quality of Service. Two types of simulation tool can be considered : network-oriented simulation tools (NOST), for which the physical medium is abstracted to a simple parameter set, and photonics-oriented simulation tools (POST), focusing primarily on the physical layer, with reduced reference to logical topology, protocol or QoS. With a priority given to interactions within the e-Photon/ONe community and more particularly between PhD students, the purpose of this symposium is threefold :

• to provide an opportunity for researchers working on advanced modeling and simulation of optical systems and networks to present their work,
• to encourage discussion and possible future collaboration between participants,
• to share experiences and techniques between teaching staff using simulation software as an efficient education tool in optical communication technologies, systems and networks.
  
  
  

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  Scientific Partners