Solving the Routing and Wavelength Assignment Problem in WDM Networks by Using a Multiobjective Variable Neighborhood Search Algorithm

At the present time, the future of communications is focused on optical fiber. The most promising technology is based on Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). This technique divides the bandwidth into different wavelengths avoiding possible bottlenecks, therefore it takes full advantage of the bandwidth of the optical networks. A problem comes up when it is necessary to accomplish a set of transmission demands. This is known as Routing and Wavelength Assignment problem (RWA problem). There are two different types: Static-RWA (unicast demands, the most usual ones) and Dynamic-RWA (multicast demands). In this paper we have focused on the first type, Static-RWA. To solve it, we have used a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. We have chosen the Variable Neighborhood Search algorithm (VNS), but in a multiobjective context (MO-VNS). After an exhaustive comparison with other authors, we conclude that this algorithm obtains much better results than their approaches.

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