The ADRENALINE testbed: integrating GMPLS, XML, and SNMP in transparent DWDM networks

This article presents a brief overview, state of the art, and taxonomy of optical WDM testbeds, and outlines the differences between them and the ADRENALINE testbed. ADRENALINE is an optical circuit-switched WDM testbed that deploys reconfigurable OADMs based on various technologies (e.g., AWG and tunable lasers). In ADRENALINE, end-to-end lightpaths are set up and torn down dynamically and in real time by means of a GMPLS-based control plane (switched connections) and a distributed management plane (soft-permanent connections). ADRENALINE supports the request of SPCs under user initiative by combining GMPLS, SNMP, and XML. ADRENALINE allows both the topology and major characteristics of the data communications network to be modified, enabling control and management related experiments with varying DCN. In our experiments we investigate user management of lightpaths and address its performance in terms of basic SLA parameters related to connection establishment (delay and availability). Finally, we address remaining challenges and outline exciting avenues of future work on ADRENALINE.