TDTS: Three-Dimensional Traffic Scheduling in Optical Fronthaul Networks with Conv-LSTM

Given the more intensive deployments of emerging Internet of Things applications with beyond-fifth-generation communication, the access network becomes bandwidth-hungry to support more kinds of services, requiring higher resource utilization of the optical fronthaul network. To enhance resource utilization, this study novelly proposed a three-dimensional traffic scheduling (TDTS) scheme in the optical fronthaul network. Specifically, large and mixed traffic data with multiple different requirements were firstly divided according to three-dimensions parameters of traffic requests, i.e., arriving time, transmission tolerance delay, and bandwidth requirements, forming eight types of traffic model. Then, historical traffic data with division results were put into convolutional-long short-term memory (Conv-LSTM) strategy for traffic prediction, obtaining a clear traffic pattern. Next, the traffic processing order was supported by a priority evaluation factor that was measured by traffic status of the link and network characteristics comprehensively. Finally, following the priority, the proposed TDTS scheme assigned the resource to traffic requests according to their results of traffic division, prediction, and processing order with the shortest path routing and first-fit spectrum allocation policies. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed TDTS scheme, on the premise of accurate traffic prediction, could outperform conventional resource-allocation schemes in terms of blocking probability and resource utilization.