As the number of attacks increases in optical networks, security at the management layer (ML) of these networks is of paramount importance to ensure that critical network management information is securely transmitted between ML node(s) and the rest of the network nodes. This work considers the problem of developing a quantum key distribution (QKD) framework for the management layer of an optical network, so that a set of management nodes can securely communicate and exchange keys with the network nodes. An integer linear program (ILP) is formulated for the design of a management layer - quantum key distribution (ML-QKD) network, aiming to maximize the transmission rates provided to network and management nodes, by optimally selecting the placement of the management node(s) and QKD systems. Performance results for several scenarios with a different number of available management nodes and QKD systems, demonstrate that the proposed formulation can design an optimal ML-QKD network.
As the number of attacks increases in optical networks, security at the management layer (ML) of these networks is of paramount importance to ensure that critical network management information is securely transmitted between ML node(s) and the rest of the network nodes. This work considers the problem of developing a quantum key distribution (QKD) framework for the management layer of an optical network, so that a set of management nodes can securely communicate and exchange keys with the network nodes. An integer linear program (ILP) is formulated for the design of a management layer - quantum key distribution (ML-QKD) network, aiming to maximize the transmission rates provided to network and management nodes, by optimally selecting the placement of the management node(s) and QKD systems. Performance results for several scenarios with a different number of available management nodes and QKD systems, demonstrate that the proposed formulation can design an optimal ML-QKD network.
Secure networks composed of optical networks and quantum key distribution (QKD) are considered in this paper. A network layer structure is defined to focus on issues important with respect to the QKD network layer that controls QKD links and supplies a secure key for message transmission. A multiple-user QKD network layer can be constructed with timing synchronization, secure key sharing between indirectly connected nodes with switched QKD systems and key relays, and key management to control the volume of key generation and supply in response to the demand from optical network nodes.
The maturity and developments of quantum key distribution (QKD) enable its application for encrypting dense wavelength-division multiplexing networks (DWDMNs), ensuring security in the presence of scalable quantum computers. The potential infrastructure reuse and costly deployment of a QKD network (QKDN) require jointly optimized deployment and utilization. We develop and solve a multi-layer problem formulation that fulfills the required keys of the DWDMN demands with the cost-minimized QKDN and maximized reuse of the present infrastructure. Our approach proves the feasibility of currently available QKD devices to encrypt nation-wide DWDMN with multi-period network planning. Furthermore, we compare static and dynamic routing approaches to quantify the advantage of software-defined networking for key management networks (KMNs). Depending on the network load, our multi-layer optimization shows potential savings between 9% and 45% of QKD devices compared to the baseline. Additionally optimizing the operation with dynamic routing increases the performance further, but the gain is negligible for encrypting DWDMNs.
Quantum key distribution allows secure key distribution between remote communication parties. In a quantum network, multiple users are connected by quantum links for key distribution and classical links for encrypted data transmission. When the quantum network structure becomes complicated with a large number of users, it is important to investigate network issues, including security, key management, latency, reliability, scalability, and cost. In this work, we utilize the classical network theory and graph theory to establish a framework for a quantum network, addressing two critical issues, security and key management. First, we design a communication scheme with the highest security level that trusts a minimum number of intermediate nodes. Second, when the quantum key is a limited resource, we design key management and data scheduling schemes to optimize the utility of data transmission. Our results can be directly applied to the current metropolitan and free-space quantum network implementations and can potentially be a standard approach for future quantum network designs.
Quantum key distribution (QKD)-based optical networks utilize quantum mechanics to secure communications by establishing secure, albeit expensive, quantum channels. A critical criterion for these QKD networks is to ensure network availability, which requires each service to adhere to a minimum unavailability constraint to maintain maximum network availability. This paper tackles the challenge of providing dedicated path protection for a select set of key services within QKD optical networks, adhering to specific unavailability constraints to ensure the gap between working and protection paths' unavailability remains within the allowable limit for each services. Considering the constraints of the limited timeslot resources and unavailability for the dedicated-path protection, we develop integer linear programming (ILP) models, to minimize the overall timeslot consumption in QKD optical networks. Additionally, we propose two novel algorithms for timeslot and availability management as minimum timeslot consumption (MTC) algorithm, and maximum availability (MA) algorithm to reduce the timeslot consumption. Simulations indicate that the ILP model based solution achieves the lowest timeslot consumption, however, it requires considerably more processing time compared to the proposed MTC and MA algorithms. Moreover, the MTC and MA algorithms outperform conventional dedicated-path protection (CDP) and fixed routing (FR) algorithms in reducing total timeslot consumption and improving average unavailability.
The increasing reliance on optical communication networks for high-speed data transmission has amplified concerns regarding secure information exchange in the era of quantum computing. Classical cryptographic protocols such as RSA and ECC, though widely deployed, are vulnerable to attacks from large-scale quantum computers executing Shor’s algorithm. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) has emerged as a revolutionary cryptographic paradigm that leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to enable theoretically unbreakable key exchange. This paper investigates the integration of QKD into optical communication networks, focusing on protocol design, implementation challenges, and potential scalability. Through scenario-based evaluation, the study highlights the trade-offs between quantum security and practical deployment constraints such as channel loss, photon detector efficiency, and key generation rates. Results from simulated models demonstrate that while QKD can achieve provable security in metropolitan-area networks, long-distance transmission requires advanced techniques such as quantum repeaters and trusted nodes. This work concludes that QKD offers a promising pathway toward quantum-safe communication but necessitates
The increasing reliance on optical communication networks for high-speed data transmission has amplified concerns regarding secure information exchange in the era of quantum computing. Classical cryptographic protocols such as RSA and ECC, though widely deployed, are vulnerable to attacks from large-scale quantum computers executing Shor�s algorithm. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) has emerged as a revolutionary cryptographic paradigm that leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to enable theoretically unbreakable key exchange. This paper investigates the integration of QKD into optical communication networks, focusing on protocol design, implementation challenges, and potential scalability. Through scenario-based evaluation, the study highlights the trade-offs between quantum security and practical deployment constraints such as channel loss, photon detector efficiency, and key generation rates. Results from simulated models demonstrate that while QKD can achieve provable security in metropolitan-area networks, long-distance transmission requires advanced techniques such as quantum repeaters and trusted nodes. This work concludes that QKD offers a promising pathway toward quantum-safe communication but necessitates advancements in hardware, standardization, and hybrid cryptographic strategies for widespread adoption.