Logical performance of the optical switch in MAN and WAN networks

Abstract

To respond to the communication boom, societies and research centers are looking for new and more powerful network technologies. One of the most promising solutions for the near future seems to be all-optical packet switching. Two main approaches to the synchronous optical packet switching were studied within the ROM project. The goal is to provide a very high-speed network (Tbit/s) capable of handling different CoS and various protocols. Taking into account the constraint of the optical network, a simulator for logical performance evaluation of the optical node in MAN and WAN networks was developed. A model of an all-optical switch with its main properties, contention resolution mechanisms, simulated model and logical performance of the node like packet loss ratio as a function of the load and dimensioning of the delay lines (FDL), is presented.