Routing algorithm with smart energy management on VCSEL interconnected networks

Energy consumption and the associated costs constitute a crucial issue concerning the design and operation of data networks and data centers. Energy-awareness is required in all levels, ranging from physical layer to algorithms, protocols and applications. Architecture-wise, a promising solution for tackling the increasing energy requirements is the deployment of optics at both long and shorter distances, including within data centers. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) constitute a popular photonic transmitter technology used in numerous short-range applications, providing also the ability to reduce energy consumption by scaling down the transmission bit rate. In this study we focus on the algorithmic aspects of energy management by proposing an OptiMal EnerGy Aware (OMEGA) routing algorithm to operate in optical networks utilizing VCSEL-based opto-electronic links. The algorithm leverages the capability of VCSELs to adapt the energy dissipation with respect to the transmission bit rate. Simulation results, under various traffic patterns, show that OMEGA balances efficiently the traffic load over the network's links, resulting in high throughput and low energy consumption.