Picture the do-it-yourself investor at the home computer, managing his stocks online. Everything looks status quo; our aspiring millionaire takes a sip of lukewarm coffee while sleepily continuing to browse the financials. Suddenly, something makes him sit up straighter, fully opening his eyes. Could it really be...? Yes, the day has arrived...it seems the underdog upstart on the TSE has finally made it. Stocks are soaring and it's time to sell! Fingers poised on the keyboard, our hero goes to make his move. Time is of the essence. The transaction is nearly completed and...WHAM! Connection failed. How could this be?

As it turns out, a neighborhood construction project has taken a wrong turn and mistakenly cut a critical fibre to the network. The result is a termination of Internet access to all subscribed homes and businesses within a 10km radius. For our investor, not only is the Internet connection down, so too is his net worth. While this sequence of events arguably doesn't present severe consequences, there are many situations in which network reliability is extremely critical. A sudden lack of service to a hospital's online network, for example, could potentially put human lives at stake. As we increasingly rely upon networks in our day-to-day lives, there is a corresponding demand for improved reliability.

At the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC), a small group of specialized researchers are dedicated to the study of Broadband Applications and Optical Networks. Currently, this research team is working to develop the Autonomous Intelligent Reconfigurable Optical Network (AIRON), a unique network that responds automatically to changes, correcting deficiencies that have, till now, relied on human intervention. For example, a weakening signal within a network would be intuitively detected and amplified before it disappears. In addition, the network would offer a tracking system for deteriorating components, so the system could be upgraded before a network breakdown.

The economic benefit of a network such as AIRON would be a significant reduction in operating costs, due to the autonomous nature of the network. The number of staff employed to respond to network changes and implement upgrades could be greatly decreased.

To date, researchers at CRC have partnered with industrial collaborator Inocybe Technologies and researchers at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to develop a fully functional AIRON testbed. This will enable research and development activities in automatic network reconfiguration, dynamic wavelength routing, lightpath provisioning and wavelength dropping/adding. The AIRON testbed offers a unique opportunity for collaborative work, and industrial participation is expected to grow nationally and internationally over time. CRC's facility is attractive for verifying and validating technology offerings in a real test environment, prior to actual network trials. Users can also get valuable, independent feedback on their technology, along with recommendations for potential further developments.

In September 2007, the concept of AIRON was presented and well-received at ECOC 2007, the largest optical communication conference and exhibition in Europe.

For more information about the AIRON project, please contact Alex Vukovic, AIRON Program Leader at
alex.vukovic@crc.gc.ca.