A comparison of wavelength reservation protocols for WDM optical networks

In WDM optical networks, wavelength is the critical resource for efficient communication of traffic. Hence, suitable protocols are required to allocate and use the wavelengths efficiently. We have studied the wavelength reservation protocols of such networks, which are already developed and reported in literature. Following their historical development, we have outlined some generalized classification for them and provided comparison of their performances. Finally, on the basis of the previous works, we have discussed some future scopes, which may be explored for further improvement in performance of the protocols.