Software Defined Control of Tunable Optical Transceivers Using NETCONF and YANG

Network infrastructure both intra and inter datacenter continues to increase in scale with the growing demand for bandwidth and the target performance goals for 5G networks. However the scalability of current Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) systems is threatened by poor control system flexibility, requiring progressively more complex management systems as optical network infrastructure expands. It is therefore important to have software systems that are capable of managing such networks very efficiently on a large scale. The ability to use tunable wavelength optical transceivers in a DWDM network greatly improves its flexibility and bandwidth efficiency. This paper details the creation of a software system capable of controlling tunable optical transceivers using the network configuration protocol NETCONF and its associated data model, Yet Another Next Generation (YANG). This approach can be beneficial versus other configuration protocols such as OpenFlow, as it can be implemented without disrupting existing routes in the network. The YANG module developed is capable of controlling the wavelength of tunable transceivers. This is a new method of interacting with these transceivers in a Software Defined Network (SDN). The addition of another south-bound API allows for greater flexibility in an SDN DWDM network. The system developed can successfully tune the wavelength of the transceivers via NETCONF with the results verified using optical spectrum analysis.