QUADRO - A SOLUTION TO PACKET-SWITCHING IN OPTICAL-TRANSMISSION NETWORKS

To provide very high end-to-end bandwidth, all-optical networks need to maintain the transmitted information in the optical domain throughout the network. Through packet switching, this bandwidth can then be flexibly shared among a large number of users according to the demands of their applications. In this process users need to share the various optical communication-handling network resources, such as wavelengths, switches, receivers and transmitters. Extant packet switching solutions, based on electronic buffering and processing, are not appropriate for the optical environment, as, due to the relatively slower electronic rates, their use leads to the ''electronic performance bottleneck''. In this paper we overview a recent approach termed Quadro (Queueing Arrivals for Delayed Reception/Routing Operation), that supports the sharing of resources in an optical system without the need for O/E and E/O conversions, or electronic buffering and processing of the data packets. We then show how the Quadro resource sharing solution can be generalized to provide optical packet switching. The proposed solution opens a new direction for optical networking, allowing optical network realization without the need to wait for the technological realization of optical processing devices to replace the relatively slow nodal electronic processing in existing networks. The design and operation of Quadro is presented and demonstrated for different types of LAN and MAN systems.