Packetponder: a multi-domain, software-defined, packet-optical convergence node at the edge
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Full Text E-thesis
Date
2025-09-01
Authors
Raulin, Julie
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Publisher
University College Cork
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Abstract
The exponential growth of traffic from cloud services, Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads, and latency-sensitive edge applications (such as those running close to end-users or devices) is placing unprecedented demands on the underpinning telecommunications infrastructure. Supporting such use cases requires networks that not only can provide for high-capacity, but are also dynamic, resilient, and more efficient. Yet, despite progress, development and research in disaggregation and open networking, today’s infrastructure remains highly fragmented, with separate hardware platforms and control systems for different network domains — access, metro and core — leading to operational silos, complicated end-to-end orchestration, duplicated functions, and underused capabilities.
To answer these challenges, this thesis introduces the packetponder concept: it relies on a fully open and programmable whitebox switch capable of accommodating a wide range of modular, common-form-factor pluggable transceivers. While traditionally designed to support electronic switching functions, the packetponder's open software stack and programmable hardware enable not only layer 1 and layer 2 convergence, but also position it as a strong candidate for broader applications spanning access, metro, and core networks, while enabling unified management across network layers. Indeed, by consolidating packet and optical functions into a single node, the packetponder reduces the need for multiple dedicated devices such as Optical Line Terminals (OLTs), transponders, and aggregation switches. This consolidation not only simplifies network architectures but also lowers operational complexity and, in turn, energy consumption. Moreover, by exposing all functions to a centralised controller through open and standardised APIs, the packetponder allows end-to-end visibility and control, enabling more flexible, resilient, and vendor-agnostic networks.
As a proof of concept, this thesis demonstrates, for the first time, the feasibility of thepacketponder across multiple network domains. In the metro/core domain, it bridges the gap between packet and optical layers, a convergence that gained industry traction during the course of this PhD with the rise of coherent pluggable transceivers. However, managing such a device remains challenging, as operational responsibility are traditionally split between packet and optical teams. With a packetponder, the thesis proposes one approach based on common, standardised APIs and open-source software, to enable vendor-independent integration. Specifically, an open-source Network Operating System (NOS) originally designed for packet switching was extended to support the optical-layer control, including dynamic configuration of tunable and coherent pluggable transceivers. This enhancement provides a foundation for multi-domain, multi-vendor interoperability. Consequently, the control plane was re-designed to reflect the packetponder’s hybrid role: an advanced Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) algorithm was developed and embedded in an SDN controller, leveraging the wavelength tunability of packetponder nodes to improve resource utilisation and fault recovery. Simulations over realistic topologies demonstrated the ability to identify and configure additional lightpaths in failure scenarios, even after conventional recovery strategies were applied. Finally, the feasibility of extending the packetponder to the network edge was experimentally validated, integrating mixed access-domain traffic via standard form-factor pluggables and open software interfaces where possible, and successfully transmitting an aggregated high-capacity signal of 99.56 Gbits/s over metro-scale distances. By co-locating packet switching with 3R optical-electrical-optical wavelength conversion, the packetponder introduces a new architectural paradigm with significant implications for the evolution of TELCO networks.
Through these contributions, this thesis shows that the packetponder is a strong candidate to enable true node consolidation and end-to-end simplification of fragmented infrastructures, delivering vendor-agnostic flexibility under a unified SDN control framework. As data growth accelerates with AI and other emerging applications, such convergence is not just desirable but essential to ensure networks remain scalable, efficient, and resilient in the years ahead.
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Keywords
Software-Defined Networking , DWDM , Network control and management , Network consolidation
Citation
Raulin, J. 2025. Packetponder: a multi-domain, software-defined, packet-optical convergence node at the edge. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.