The aim of the DORADO project is to investigate the Wavelength Switched Optical Networks (WSON), Connectio-oriented Ethernet (COE), and Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) technologies as the basis for cost-efficient, high-speed, flexible and dynamic optical transport networks. This will be done from an integrated approach that will include technological aspects of modelling, design, performance evaluation and experimentation in the ADRENALINE Testbed® of both optical communication systems and optical networks. The DORADO project is the evolution of the previous fundamental-research project RESPLANDOR (TEC-2006-12910/TCM) in which some research aspects of optical networks applied to GMPLS-enabled WSON infrastructures were addressed. The following list summarizes the main scientific and technical objectives that will be addressed:
· Design and evaluation of spectrally-efficient transmission systems based on optical OFDM. Investigation of all-optical OFDM transmission systems to overcome the limitations induced by electronic processing.
· Design and evaluation of advanced optical performance monitoring techniques for dynamically reconfigurable transparent optical networks based on RF spectrum analysis and asynchronous sampling.
· Centralized and distributed RWA algorithms and reservation protocols along with the required extensions to the current GMPLS RSVP-TE, OSPF-TE, and PCEP protocols for provisioning/recovery of optical services in WSON.
· Grooming and aggregation algorithms, along with the required protocol extensions, for the efficient provisioning/recovery of connection-oriented Ethernet services over WSON.
· Development of an experimentation platform to study the performance of GMPLS-enabled connection-oriented Ethernet transport over WSON with all optical wavelength converters and tuneable dispersion compensator modules.