Hierarchical distributed orchestration framework for multi-domain SDTNs

This paper presents an overarching orchestration architecture that combines hierarchical orchestration and distributed orchestration architectures for multicarrier and multi-domain software-defined transport networks (SDTNs). The objective of this study is to investigate how to combine the hierarchical topology discovery architecture and the distributed per-domain provisioning architecture, in which a set of child orchestrators (COs) enables end-to-end provisioning services in peer-to-peer environments while a parent orchestrator (PO) as well as the COs disseminate abstract inter- and intra-domain topological information between the PO and the COs. To analyze the proposed architecture, a hierarchical distributed orchestration framework was implemented and evaluated. The experimental and mathematical results demonstrate that the proposed architecture has advantages that enable fast dissemination of the abstract inter-domain topological information and evenly distribute the path computation and provisioning burden among all COs, thereby resulting in high scalability and efficiency for the orchestration of heterogeneous SDTN controllers and transport network infrastructure.