A new contention-resolution scheme for time-critical applications in multifiber optical packet-switched networks

In this paper, we propose a new contention-resolution scheme for supporting time-critical applications in multifiber optical packet-switched networks. The main idea is to utilize redundant idle fibers in optical cables rather than the conventional optical-fiber delay lines to transfer the contending packets, such that the packets do not need to be buffered on any node. The buffering delay therefore can be eliminated and the quality of the optical signal can be improved as well. The switching-node, architecture is demonstrated and its packet-loss performance is evaluated. Extensive simulations results show that the new scheme is efficient in resolving packet contentions. It is also shown that better performance is achieved by sparing several fibers in each link solely for the purpose of contention-resolution rather than simply increasing the number of fibers per link and then averaging data traffic on these fibers. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.