Fragment fusion degree based dynamic defragmentation in flexible grid optical networks

Flexible grid optical networks have been attracting much attention for their high spectrum efficiency (SE) and flexibility compared to the rigid grid WDM networks. As well known, the networks suffer from the problem of spectrum fragmentation under dynamic traffic. In this paper, we propose a new concept called ‘fragment fusion degree (FFD)’ to assess the level of spectrum fragmentation in flexible grid optical networks, which is calculated based on the availability of the spectrum fragments among neighboring links. Two FFD based dynamic defragmentation algorithms are presented to fuse the spectrum fragments among neighboring links. Simulation results show that the proposed defragmentation algorithms reduce blocking probability significantly and achieve high profitability.