A Bayesian decision theory approach for the techno-economic analysis of an all-optical router (extended version)

Typically, core networks are provided with both optical and electronic physical layers. However, the interaction between the two layers is at present limited, since most of the traditional transport functionalities, such as traffic engineering, switching and restoration, are carried in the IP/MPLS layer. In the light of this, the research community has paid little attention to the potential benefits of the interaction between layers, multilayer capabilities, on attempts to improve quality of service control.This paper shows when to move incoming label switched paths (LSPs) between layers based on a multilayer mechanism that trades off a QoS metric, such as end-to-end delay, and techno-economic aspects. Such a mechanism follows the Bayesian decision theory, and is tested with a set of representative case scenarios.