Real-Time Applications

LightForce: High-Performance Data Multicast Enabled By Dynamic Lightpaths

URL:
www.icair.org/igrid2005

Contact:
Joe Mambretti, International Center for Advanced Internet Research (iCAIR), Northwestern University (NU), USA, j-mambretti @ northwestern.edu

Collaborators:
iCAIR, NU, USA: Joe Mambretti, Fei Yeh, Jim Chen, Rachel Gold
Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL), University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), USA: Tom DeFanti
Nortel, Canada: Kim Roberts
Nortel, USA: Paul Daspit
Advanced Internet Research Group, University of Amsterdam, NL: Cees de Laat

Advanced applications require reliable point-to-point transport of extremely large data files among multiple nodes. Currently no communication service meets these data transport needs cost effectively. LightForce demonstrates the potential for transporting multiple gigibits of data with virtually no jitter by exploiting the capabilities of dymanic lightpath switching. It uses dynamic Layer-1 services and rapidly changing topologies that integrate multiple source and destination nodes, including remote nodes. Key technologies demonstrated include transparent mapping, lightpath control algorithms, resource allocation, arbitration among contending demands, extended FEC, error control, traffic stream quality, performance monitoring, and new protocols that exploit enhanced methods for low levels of BER.