Optical express routers for enhanced mesh throughput

Julian P. G. Bristow; Thomas A. Lane; James D. Kessinger

doi:10.1117/12.141084

9 February 1993 Optical express routers for enhanced mesh throughput

Julian P. G. Bristow, Thomas A. Lane, James D. Kessinger

Proceedings Volume 1784, High-Speed Fiber Networks and Channels II; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.141084
Event: Fibers '92, 1992, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Message congestion in heavily loaded mesh networks can limit system throughput. While electronic express routers increase mesh system throughput by alleviating congestion and reducing average message delivery time, optical express routers offer the possibility of a further order of magnitude performance increase by exploiting the latency advantages of decoupling data rate from optical router reconfiguration time. We show how a self-routing optical mesh can be interfaced to an existing electrical mesh, and describe the use of optimized default switch settings to minimize latency. We show that circuit switching exploits the benefits of optics in express routers to a greater extent than does packet switching, and illustrate likely architectures in which waveguide switches, detectors, and amplifiers are integrated to form self-routing nodes. The self-routing mesh algorithm and data format required to guarantee that the correct path is established are described. Our calculations show that for meshes of 512 nodes or more, optical express routers allow an order of magnitude increase in throughput compared to electronic express routers, and possibly two orders of magnitude compared to non-express meshes.

Citation Download Citation

Julian P. G. Bristow, Thomas A. Lane, and James D. Kessinger "Optical express routers for enhanced mesh throughput", Proc. SPIE 1784, High-Speed Fiber Networks and Channels II, (9 February 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.141084

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