Performance issues in optical burst/packet switching

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01524-3_8This chapter summarises the activities on optical packet switching (OPS) and optical burst switching (OBS) carried out by the COST 291 partners in the last 4 years. It consists of an introduction, five sections with contributions on five different specific topics, and a final section dedicated to the conclusions. Each section contains an introductive state-of-the-art description of the specific topic and at least one contribution on that topic. The conclusions give some points on the current situation of the OPS/OBS paradigms

A congestion aware ant colony optimisation-based routing and wavelength assignment algorithm for transparent flexi-grid optical burst switched networks

Optical Burst Switching (OBS) over transparent exi-grid optical networks, is considered a potential solution to the increasing pressure on backbone networks due to the increase in internet use and widespread adoption of various high bandwidth applications. Both technologies allow for more e cient usage of a networks resources. However, transmissions over exi-grid networks are more susceptible to optical impairments than transmissions made over xed-grid networks, and OBS suers from high burst loss due to contention. These issues need to be solved in order to reap the full benets of both technologies. An open issue for OBS whose solution would mitigate both issues is the Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) algorithm. Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) is a method of interest for solving the RWA problem on OBS networks. This study aims to improve on current dynamic ACO-based solutions to the Routing and Wavelength Assignment problem on transparent exi-grid Optical Burst Switched networks

Retrial Queuing Models of Multi-Wavelength FDL Feedback Optical Buffers

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Optical buffers based on Fiber Delay Lines (FDL) have been proposed for contention resolution in optical packet/burst switching systems. In this article, we propose a retrial queuing model for FDL optical buffers in asynchronous optical switching nodes. In the considered system, the reservation model employed is of post-reservation type and optical packets are allowed to re-circulate over the FDLs in a probabilistic manner. We combine the MMPP-based overflow traffic models of the classical circuit switching literature and fixed-point iterations to devise an algorithmic procedure to accurately estimate blocking probabilities as a function of various buffer parameters in the system when packet arrivals are Poisson and packet lengths are exponentially distributed. The proposed algorithm is both accurate and fast, allowing one to use the procedure to dimension optical buffers in next-generation optical packet switching systems

Analytic modelling and resource dimensioning of optical burst switched networks

The realisation of optical network architectures may hold the key to delivering the enormous bandwidth demands of next generation Internet applications and services. Optical Burst Switching (OBS) is a potentially cost-effective switching technique that can satisfy these demands by offering a high bit rate transport service that is bandwidth-efficient under dynamic Internet traffic loads. Although various aspects of OBS performance have been extensively investigated, there remains a need to systematically assess the cost/performance trade-offs involved in dimensioning OBS switch resources in a network. This goal is essential in enabling the future deployment of OBS but poses a significant challenge due to the complexity of obtaining tractable mathematical models applicable to OBS network optimisation. The overall aim of this thesis lies within this challenge. This thesis firstly develops a novel analytic performance model of an OBS node where burst contention is resolved by combined use of Tuneable Wavelength Converters (TWCs) and Fibre Delay Lines (FDLs) connected in an efficient share-per-node configuration. The model uses a two-moment traffic representation that gives a good trade-off between accuracy and complexity, and is suitable for extension to use in network modelling. The OBS node model is then used to derive an approximate analytic model of an OBS network of switches equipped with TWCs and FDLs, again maintaining a two-moment traffic model for each end-to-end traffic path in the network. This allows evaluation of link/route loss rates under different offered traffic characteristics, whereas most OBS network models assume only a single-moment traffic representation. In the last part of this thesis, resource dimensioning of OBS networks is performed by solving single and multi-objective optimisation problems based on the analytic network model. The optimisation objectives relate to equipment cost minimisation and throughput maximisation under end-to-end loss rate constraints. Due to non-convexity of the network performance constraint equations, a search heuristic approach has been taken using a constraint-handling genetic algorithm

Accepted for Photonic Network Communications

Abstract-When deploying Grid infrastructure, the problem of dimensioning arises: how many servers to provide, where to place them, and which network to install for interconnecting server sites and users generating Grid jobs? In contrast to classical optical network design problems, it is typical of optical Grids that the destination of traffic (jobs) is not known beforehand. This leads to so-called anycast routing of jobs. For network dimensioning, this implies the absence of a clearly defined (source,destination)-based traffic matrix, since only the origin of Grid jobs (and their data) is known, but not their destination. The latter depends not only on the state of Grid resources, including network, storage, and computational resources, but also the Grid scheduling algorithm used. We present a phased solution approach to dimension all these resources, and use it to evaluate various scheduling algorithms in two European network case studies. Results show that the Grid scheduling algorithm has a substantial impact on the required network capacity. This capacity can be minimized by appropriately choosing a (reasonably small) number of server site locations: an optimal balance can be found, in between the single server site case requiring a lot of network traffic to this single location, and an overly fragmented distribution of server capacity over too many sites without much statistical multiplexing opportunities, and hence a relatively large probability of not finding free servers at nearby sites

Dimensioning Shared-per-Node Recirculating Fiber Delay Line Buffers in an Optical Packet Switch

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Optical buffering based on fiber delay lines (FDLs) has been proposed as a means for contention resolution in an optical packet switch. In this article, we propose a queuing model for feedback-type shared-per-node recirculating FDL optical buffers in asynchronous optical switching nodes. In this model, optical packets are allowed to recirculate over FDLs as long as the total number of recirculations is less than a pre-determined limit to meet signal loss requirements. Markov Modulated Poisson Process (MMPP)-based overflow traffic models and fixed-point iterations are employed to provide an approximate analysis procedure to obtain blocking probabilities as a function of various buffer parameters in the system when the packet arrival process at the optical switch is Poisson. The proposed algorithm is numerically efficient and accurate especially in a certain regime identified with relatively long and variably-sized FDLs, making it possible to dimension optical buffers in next-generation optical packet switching systems. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Application of advanced on-board processing concepts to future satellite communications systems

An initial definition of on-board processing requirements for an advanced satellite communications system to service domestic markets in the 1990's is presented. An exemplar system architecture with both RF on-board switching and demodulation/remodulation baseband processing was used to identify important issues related to system implementation, cost, and technology development

An analysis of Regenerator Placement strategies for a Translucent OBS network architecture

Most research works in optical burst switching (OBS) networks do not take into account the impact of physical layer impairments (PLIs) either by considering fully transparent (i.e., using optical 3R regeneration) or opaque (i.e., electrical 3R regeneration) networks. However, both solutions are not feasible for different reasons. In this paper, we propose a novel translucent OBS (T-OBS) network architecture which aims at bridging the gap between the transparent and opaque solutions. In order to evaluate its performance, a formulation of the routing and regenerator placement and dimensioning problem (RRPD) is presented. Since such formulation results in a complex problem, we also propose several alternative heuristic strategies. In particular, we evaluate the trade-off between optimality and execution times provided by these methods. Finally, we conduct a series of simulation experiments that prove that the T-OBS network model proposed effectively deals with burst losses caused by the impact of PLIs and ensures that the overall network performance remains unaffected.Preprin

Performance analysis of an optical packet switch employing full/limited range share per node wavelength conversion

In this paper, we study an asynchronous optical packet switching node equipped with a number of limited range or full range wavelength converters shared per node. The packet traffic is realistically modeled by a superposition of a finite number of on-off sources as opposed to the traditional Poisson model which ignores the limited number of ports on a switch. We both study circular and non-circular limited range wavelength conversion schemes. In our simulations, we employ the far conversion policy where the optical packet is switched onto the farthest available wavelength in the tuning range, which is known to outperform the random conversion policy. We propose an approximate analytical method based on block tridiagonal Markov chains and fixed point iterations to solve for the blocking probabilities in share per node wavelength conversion systems. The method provides an accurate approximation for full range systems and acceptable results for limited range systems. © 2007 IEEE