Navigation-based path computation: Network paths are automatically planned, while also satisfying differentiated service SLAs.

Minutes-level automatic optimization: Continuously satisfies service SLAs. Figure 1:

Built on three core technologies — combination of 15+ path computation factors, flexible multi-vendor device control, and management of millions of tunnels — Path Computing Element truly implements network-wide control and E2E path management, unleashing the value of automated networks.

Figure 2:

Combination of 15+ path computation factors

New services, such as HD live broadcast, cloud gaming, and AR/VR, have led to increasingly diversified requirements on network bearer quality. To meet diversified service requirements, operators must provide differentiated products. Path computation based on a single factor cannot meet complex service quality requirements. By using a Huawei-proprietary cloud-map algorithm, Path Computing Element offers 15+ path computation factors, such as bandwidth, latency, traffic, and availability, which can be flexibly combined in order to compute the optimal path that best matches customers' service intents. In this way, operators can classify services in a more refined manner so that services are carried on network paths with different SLAs (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and packet loss rate). Consequently, service SLAs are satisfied, with optimal resource utilization. This enables operators to provide diversified network products.

Flexible multi-vendor device control

Operator networks usually consist of devices from multiple vendors. To implement E2E path control on the entire network, multi-vendor device control is a must. The significant differences in the configurations of multi-vendor devices mean that the conventional script configuration approach is a prohibitively heavy workload and subject to frequent configuration changes.

To address this issue, Path Computing Element uses standard protocols and an open multi-vendor framework to quickly adapt to multi-vendor device, construct a complete path computation topology, and implement E2E path control network-wide. It complies with 70+ standard protocols through which it collects topology information and delivers paths. The protocols standardize multi-vendor interoperability, reducing integration cost by 50%. It employs an open multi-vendor framework to make device driver development fast and cost-effective. It allows the driver packages to be loaded online and proactively adapts to the differences between multi-vendor devices. Owing to its global commercial use, Path Computing Element has accumulated an extensive set of multi-vendor control capabilities. At European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC), it successfully completed interoperability tests with devices from different vendors.

Management of millions of tunnels

In the 5G and cloud era, integrated transport networks are becoming increasingly complex in structure. To satisfy differentiated SLAs of tenants, each service exclusively occupies a tunnel, resulting in a several hundredfold increase in the number of tunnels. To implement E2E control of network-wide paths, the controller must be able to manage a massive number of tunnels. In this regard, Path Computing Element supports millions of tunnels and takes mere minutes to compute paths network-wide, even meeting future requirements of large-scale network management. E2E management is truly achieved through just one controller.

Realizing that network automation has become an industry-wide consensus, global operators are building their own next-generation automated networks. Telecom Malaysia (TM) used Huawei iMaster NCE to build its Next Generation Transport (NGT) network with E2E automation. Nariman, vice president of TM's network department, said: "Huawei iMaster NCE integrates multi-vendor IP devices and offers whole network control capabilities, so it can provide a real global network view and real end-to-end management. NCE supports an optimal path computation algorithm to meet different service quality requirements. NCE also supports service agility to quickly meet changing business requirements."

So far, Path Computing Element has been deployed at 100+ commercial sites around the world, and is enabling top operators in Asia Pacific, South Africa, and West Europe to build their next-generation automated networks. Through continuous innovation and practice, Huawei is empowering operators to evolve to autonomous networks.

This content is sponsored by Huawei.