Efficient decentralized dynamic bandwidth allocation in EPON

Abstract

Bandwidth allocation is a critical issue in the design of an Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) system since multiple Optical Network Units (ONUs) share a common upstream channel. Traditionally, bandwidth allocation schemes relied on centralized Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation (DBA) and considered that the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) is the only device that can assess dynamic bandwidth allocation based on Time-Division Multiple Access (TDMA) for the shared upstream channel. This paper proposes an Efficient Distributed DBA (EDDBA) that supports differentiated services and ensures Quality of Service (QoS) for both inter and intra ONU allocation. The proposed mechanism introduces an identical DBA algorithm running simultaneously in each ONU. The simulation performance for the proposed DBA was conducted using prolog and shows more flexibility, reliability and more proper handling for data, voice, and video.