HYRA: An efficient hybrid reporting method for XG-PON upstream resource allocation

The dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) process in the modern passive optical networks (PONs) is crucial since it greatly influences the whole network performance. Recently, the latest new generation PON (NG-PON) standard, known as 10-gigabit-capable passive optical network (XG-PON), standardized by the international telecommunication union telecommunication standardization sector (ITU-T), emerges as one of the most efficient access networking framework to cope with the demanding needs of the fiber to the x (FTTX) paradigm, where x stands for home (FTTH), bulding (FTTB), or curve (FTTC). Motivated by the fact that the ITU-T specifications leave the bandwidth allocation process open for development by both industry and academia, we propose a novel DBA scheme for effectively delivering data in the upstream direction. Our idea is based on a subtle suggestion induced by the XG-PON specifications; each developed DBA method should combine both status reporting (SR) and traffic monitoring (TM) techniques. This means that a XG-PON framework should be cognitive enough in order to be able either to request bandwidth reporting from the connected users or estimate users' bandwidth demands or both. In this article we cover this gap by proposing a robust learning from experience method by utilizing a powerful yet simple tool, the learning automata (LAs). By combining SR and TM methods, the proposed hybrid scheme, called hybrid reporting allocation (HYRA), is capable of taking efficient decisions on deciding when SR or TM method should be employed so as to maximize the efficacy of the bandwidth allocation process. Simulation results reveal the superiority of our scheme in terms of average packet delay offering up to 33% improvement.