Network analysis using the ASON/GMPLS emulator eGEM

There is a need in the telecom industry for ASON/GMPLS network planning guidelines in order to maximize the use of resources while at the same time protection and restoration guarantee must be provided. Analysis is needed for the current status of an ASON/GMPLS network, as well as the influence of adding new customer traffic or network resources or investigating the impact of a failed link or node. The results of this analysis can be used by a network operator for network planning purposes. Besides this, insights in the performance of the optical control plane in terms of service setup time and restoration time for different survivability schemes is required. This kind of analysis is of use in network research labs to improve the performance of network elements and networks. This paper describes eGEM (Enhanced GMPLS Emulator) that allows emulation of large (approximately above 10 elements) and dynamic networks with real network elements (such as Lucent Technologies' LambdaUnite™) included in the emulated network. It is used for, to study deployment strategies offline during network planning evaluation/certification as well as to investigate specifics of signalling protocols on the creation of connections.