Optical Network Control: Architecture, Protocols, and Standards

14.1. Introduction

We have so far examined different aspects of the optical control plane, including the architecture, the algorithms, and the protocols. In this chapter, we discuss the current status of standardization and deployment of the optical control plane in a multivendor, multitechnology network environment. Specifically, we describe the business drivers and inhibitors behind the optical control plane effort, the current state of the standards, the status of interoperable implementations, and the open issues that need to be resolved before wide-scale deployment of this new technology can begin.