Óscar González de Dios

A. L. García Navarro, Nataliia Koneva, Alfonso Sánchez-Macián et al.

This article provides a methodology and open-source implementation of Reinforcement Learning algorithms for finding optimal routes in a packet-optical network scenario. The algorithm uses measurements provided by the physical layer (pre-FEC bit error rate and propagation delay) and the link layer (link load) to configure a set of latency-based rewards and penalties based on such measurements. Then, the algorithm executes Q-learning based on this set of rewards for finding the optimal routing strategies. It is further shown that the algorithm dynamically adapts to changing network conditions by re-calculating optimal policies upon either link load changes or link degradation as measured by pre-FEC BER.

Alfonso Sánchez-Macián, Óscar González de Dios, José Alberto Hernández et al.

The increasing energy demands of upcoming sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks and networks supporting AI applications pose significant challenges for network operators in terms of operational costs and environmental impact. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel IP-based network slicing strategy that optimizes energy efficiency through a dual-slice approach. The proposed solution consists of a Day Slice, designed to meet high-performance requirements during peak traffic hours, and a Night Slice, optimized for energy savings by deactivating excess line-cards in card-based routers during periods of low traffic demand. The traffic is switched between the Day and Night Slices at predefined times, assuming appropriate traffic engineering mechanisms are in place to minimize disruption and support session continuity. We apply Pareto-based evolutionary algorithms (NSGA-II, CTAEA, and AGE-MOEA) to jointly optimize energy consumption and latency. Experiments conducted on the SNDlib india35 topology demonstrate that multi-objective optimization can deactivate over 40% of line cards during low-traffic periods, providing significant energy savings while maintaining acceptable performance. Additionally, a multi-service extension using AGE-MOEA introduces differentiated QoS constraints, maintaining latency below 7 ms for premium traffic while preserving substantial energy savings.