1

Optical Packet Switching

Techniques
Walter Picco
MS Thesis Defense December 2001

Fabio Neri, Marco Ajmone Marsan
Telecommunication Networks Group
http://www.tlc-networks.polito.it/
2
Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
3
The need of optics
Future network requirements:
High bandwidth capacity
Flexibility, robustness
Power supply and equipment footprint
reduction

Optics offers a good evolution perspective
4
Optical framework today
Point to point communications
Circuit switching with packet switching
electronic control
why ?
Optical packet switching:
no optical memories
slow optical switches
5
Optical packet switching
Bandwidth is not a problem

Network cost is in the commutation

New protocols and architectures needed


New tools to measure performance
New design techniques
more
6
Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
7
Goals
New optical network simulator
Topology Simulation Performance
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Goals
New analysis and design method for optical
networks

Resources Analysis Topology
9
Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
10
Transmitting data
Wavelength Division Multiplexing: the huge
bandwidth of an optical fiber is divided in many
channels (colors)




Each channel occupies a
different frequency slot
11
Storing data
Optical RAM is not available yet
Fiber Delay Lines (FDLs) are used instead
FDLs
Forward usage Feedback usage
FDL
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Processing data
Electronics limits the speed in data
forwarding
Optical 3R regeneration (and wavelength
conversion) is now possible



Physical layer is not a matter of concern
All-optical solutions are currently at the study
3R

1

2

13
Switching data
Tomorrow (a
possibility): Micro
Electro Mechanical
Systems
Today: Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers
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Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
15
Fixed routing
implementation


Not good for WDM
The starting simulator: CLASS
Simulator of ATM networks
Topology independent


Adaptable tool
} fiber
channel
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CLASS modifications
Dynamic routing strategy



Each WDM channel must be listed in the
network description file

Maximum flexibility in the network description
} fiber
channel
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SIMON node architecture
n n
1 1
n-1 n-1
SWITCH
CONTROL
UNIT
3R
3R
3R
3R
3R
3R
3R
3R
3R
1 1
2 2
m m
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Time division
Slotted network:
t
t
t
C
1
C
2
C
3
t
0
timeslot
P 1
P 2
t
1
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Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
20
Designing WDM networks
Given:
Network topology and the traffic matrix
Find:
Number of WDM channels on each link
Optimizing:
Network throughput
Meeting a cost constraint:
Network cost

commutation
Fixed number
of ports for all
the switches
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The optimization problem
Mathematical statement:
Find minimum (maximum) of a non-linear
function in the discrete domain, meeting
some constraints

NP-complete problem

Only heuristic solutions are possible
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Proposed approach
1) Find:

P
tot
: packet loss probability of the whole
network
n
i
: number of WDM channels on link i

2) Elaborate a heuristic solution to find the
minimum of P
tot
( )
M tot
n n f P
1
=
23
Link model
Classical queueing theory: M/M/L/k queue






server WDM channel
buffer slot FDL
k
1
2
L
servers
buffer
more
24
Node model
Input
fibers
Output
fibers
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FDLs cant be modeled as a simple buffer
discrete storage time
noise addition at each recirculation




All the FDLs of a node are shared among the
different queues
Model limitations
channel
FDL
A

B

A + =
<
t t t
SNR SNR
A B
A B
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Network model
The packet loss probability (P
f
) of a flow is:


The packet loss probability (P
tot
) of the whole
network results:
First step completed
e
e

=
F f
f
F f
f f
tot
t
P t
P
( )
M tot
n n f P
1
=
e
=
f
L i
i
f
P P 1 1
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Cost constraint:
(channel ports + FDLs ports) = constant
optimum balance optimum solution
Searching the minimum
Network connectivity
(number of channel
ports)
Storage capacity
(number of FDLs)
Level
28
Heuristic approach
Starting topology: maximum connected




Iteration steps:
the current topology is perturbed
if the perturbed topology has a lower P
tot

the topology is modified
Highest possible level
29
Heuristic approach
Topology perturbation:
all the links are analyzed
the link that modified gives the lower P
tot
is
memorized
cancelled
added
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Overview
Introduction and motivations
Goals of the thesis
State-of-the-art and enabling technologies
SIMON: an optical network simulator
Optical networks design
Obtained results
31
General backbone: topology
Node
User
1 2
3 4
5
6 7
8
9
10 11
12
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General backbone: throughput
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0.85
0.9
0.95
1
Total network load [Gbps]
F
r
a
c
t
i
o
n

o
f

p
a
c
k
e
t
s

s
u
c
c
e
s
s
f
u
l
l
y

t
r
a
n
s
f
e
r
r
e
d

1
2
3
4
M/M/L/k (4 MR)
M/M/L/k ( MR)
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General backbone: delay
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
P
a
c
k
e
t
s

n
e
t

d
e
l
a
y

1
2
3
4
M/M/L/k (4 MR)
M/M/L/k ( MR)
Total network load [Gbps]
34
USA backbone: topology
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18 15
16 11
10
12
13
17
14 9
8
5
6
7
3
4 2
1
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USA backbone: throughput
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0.86
0.88
0.9
0.92
0.94
0.96
0.98
1
1
2
3
M/M/L/k (4 MR)
M/M/L/k ( MR)
Total network load [Gbps]
F
r
a
c
t
i
o
n

o
f

p
a
c
k
e
t
s

s
u
c
c
e
s
s
f
u
l
l
y

t
r
a
n
s
f
e
r
r
e
d

more
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Conclusions
Two key elements:

A new tool capable to simulate the next
generation optical networks

A new optimization target in the optical
networks design giving good results
more
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E S
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Optical Burst Switching
Packets are assembled in the network edge,
forming bursts
Advantages:
More efficient exploitation of the bandwidth
Possibility to implement Service
Differentiation
Disadvantages:
More complicated network structure
More complicated forwarding process
continue
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Link model
Packet loss probability P on the link:
link capacity
o link traffic load
offered load [Erlangs],

o
=
( )

=
(

+ +
=
(

+
=

=
+

1 if 1
! !
1 if
1
1
!
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
r k
L i
r
r
r
i
L
L
i
i
L
i
k i

t
continue
L
r

=
40
Japan backbone: topology
1
2 3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
11
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Japan backbone: throughput
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0.9
0.91
0.92
0.93
0.94
0.95
0.96
0.97
0.98
0.99
1
1
2
3
M/M/L/k (4 MR)
M/M/L/k ( MR)
Total network load [Gbps]
F
r
a
c
t
i
o
n

o
f

p
a
c
k
e
t
s

s
u
c
c
e
s
s
f
u
l
l
y

t
r
a
n
s
f
e
r
r
e
d

continue
42
Future work
Simulator:
Support for different architectures
FDLs of variable length

Heuristic approach:
More detailed model for FDLs


continue
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End of presentation