The bypass queue in fast packet switching

The telecommunications networks of the future are likely to be packet switched networks consisting of wide bandwidth optical fiber transmission media, and large, highly parallel, self-routing switches. Recent considerations of switch architectures have focused on internally nonblocking networks with packet buffering at the switch outputs. These have optimal throughput and delay performance. The author considers a switch architecture consisting of parallel plans of low-speed internally blocking switch networks, in conjunction with input and output buffering. This architecture is desirable from the viewpoint of modularity and hardware cost, especially for large switches. Although this architecture is suboptimal, the throughput shortfall may be overcome by adding extra switch planes. A form of input queuing called bypass queuing can improve the throughput of the switch and thereby reduce the number of switch planes required. An input port controller is described which distributes packets to all switch planes according to the bypass policy, while preserving packet order for virtual circuits. Some simulation results for switch throughput are presented     

Accuracy of traffic modeling in fast packet switching

Arrivals of calls, bursts, and packets to a fast packet switching system are governed by different time scales. This feature is used to break down the system performance analysis into layers. The impact of each layer on packet delay and blocking is investigated in isolation by assuming the global equilibrium in the next higher layer and deterministic flow of entities in all lower layers. The one-layer analytical model is developed and used to determine lower and upper estimates of a mean delay and blocking. Numerical results are compared with delays obtained from the multilayer simulation. Results of the analysis indicate that the channel utilization must be kept below a threshold value to avoid overload periods in the burst and call layers. Flow control techniques which can be used for that purpose are briefly discussed     

Reconfigurable fault tolerant networks for fast packet switching

The authors consider the design and analysis of reconfigurable networks for fast packet switching. The design constraints resulting from the use of fast packet switching that affect fault-tolerant network design are carefully studied. A reconfigurable network with high link redundancy is then proposed. An abstract replacement model that characterizes the proposed reconfigurable network is presented. Network fault tolerance problems are transformed into well known assignment problems. Two practical designs based on feasible technology are presented. An appreciable reliability improvements is achieved and full bandwidth is maintained up to a tolerable level of failures, with relatively few spare switches     

Optimal queueing policies for fast packet switching of mixedtraffic

The power of ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) is its ability to provide bandwidth on demand, different sources can have different bandwidth requirements. Sources also differ in performance requirements, some ask for minimal delay variations, whereas others must have extremely low cell loss probabilities. It is shown how these complementary performance requirements can be explained with an LDOLL (low delay or low loss) queue, where sources get either service priority or storage priority. The space of possible LDOLL queuing policies is very large, even after a justified reduction, the size is still O (2^Q2), Q being the maximum number of ATM cells in the LDOLL queue. Using Markov decision theory and concepts of linear programming, only Q so-called efficient solutions are achieved. These are the LDOLL threshold policies, which are conceptually appealing, robust in performance, and practical from the implementation viewpoint     

Frame relaying and the fast packet switching concepts and issues

High-speed networking based on frame relaying and fast packet switching are discussed, and the distinctions between the two technologies are clarified. Some of the recent International Consultative Committee for Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT) standards are examined, and the remaining issues for implementing these services are addressed. Particular attention is given to congestion control issues in ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) and frame relay networks. Some industry implementations are briefly reviewed     

An advanced satellite communication system with on-board fast packet switching capabilities

This paper is focused on a satellite communication system having on-board fast packet switching capabilities. Different alternatives for the up-link access technique and for the architecture of the onboard switching fabric are considered. In particular an efficient time division multiple access technique with slots assigned on demand and a novel switching approach are proposed. Performances in terms of mean access delay and mean on-board switching delay are derived by analytical approaches and computer simulations.     

Multipath interconnection: a technique for reducing congestionwithin fast packet switching fabrics

The banyan interconnection is prone to internal link congestion, resulting in a blocking switch architecture. Several solutions that have been implemented to reduce the severity of link congestion offer packets a multiplicity of paths, which tend to increase packet delay variability and allow delivery of out-of-sequence packets. This, in turn, can lead to an increase in end-to-end protocol complexity, particularly in the case of real-time services. A solution called multipath interconnection is proposed to overcome this difficulty. Multiple (i.e., alternate) paths are provided and one is selected at call-setup time. Subsequent packets belonging to the call are constrained to follow the selected path. A number of path selection strategies are presented     

Unified approaches to integrated-service networks–burst and fast packet switching

The increasing demand for communication services, coupled with recent technological advances in communication media and switching techniques, has resulted in a proliferation of new and expanded services. Currently, networks are needed which can transmit voice, data and video services in an application-independent fashion. Unified approaches employ a single switching technique across the entire network bandwidth, thus allowing services to be switched in an application-independent manner. This paper presents a taxonomy of integrated-service networks, including a look at NISDN, while focusing on unified approaches to integrated-service networks. The two most promising unified approaches are burst and fast packet switching. Burst switching is a circuit switching-based approach which allocates channel bandwidth to a connection only during the transmission of ‘bursts’ of information. Fast packet switching is a packet switching-based approach which can be characterized by very high transmission rates on network links and simple, hard-wired protocols which match the rapid channel speed of the network. Both approaches are being proposed as possible implementations for integrated-service networks. We survey these two approaches, and also examine the key performance issues found in fast packet switching. We then present the results of a simulation study of a fast packet switching network.     

Photonic switching fabrics

The strengths and limitations of the photonic technology are reviewed, beginning with the temporal bandwidth limitations of photonic devices and then focusing on spatial bandwidth, commonly referred to as the parallelism of optics, and how it can be used in photonic fabrics. Some of the proposed photonic switching fabrics that are based on guided-wave devices are discussed, comprising switching fabrics based on space channels, using directional couplers and optical amplifiers, and those based on time channels. The latter include active reconfigurable fabrics based on TDM, time-slot interchangers, and universal time slots, in addition to passive shared media fabrics. Some of the switching fabrics that have been proposed using wavelength channels are outlined, and multidimensional fabrics are briefly reviewed. Photonic switching fabrics based on free-space devices are described, covering free-space relational switching fabrics, the basic hardware required for digital free-space optical fabrics, and digital free-space switching fabrics     

Demonstration of photonic fast packet switching at 700 Mbit/s data rate

Selfrouting of optical data through a photonic packet switch, with user data at 700 Mbit/s, is demonstrated. The switch is transparent to the bandwidth of the optical data thus allowing essentially unlimited payload bit rate.<>     

The evolution of packet switching

Over the past decade data communications has been revolutionized by a radically new technology called packet switching. In 1968 virtually all interactive data communication networks were circuit switched, the same as the telephone network. Circuit switching networks preallocate transmission bandwidth for an entire call or session. However, since interactive data traffic occurs in short bursts 90 percent or more of this bandwidth is wasted. Thus, as digital electronics became inexpensive enough, it became dramatically more cost-effective to completely redesign communications networks, introducing the concept of packet switching where the transmission bandwidth is dynamically allocated, permitting many users to share the same transmission line previously required for one user. Packet switching has been so successful, not only in improving the economics of data communications but in enhancing reliability and functional flexibility as well, that in 1978 virtually all new data networks being built throughout the world are based on packet switching. An open question at this time is how long will it take for voice communications to be revolutionized as well by packet switching technology. In order to better understand both the past and future evolution of this fast moving technology, this paper examines in detail the history and trends of packet switching.     

Queueing in high-performance packet switching

The authors study the performance of four different approaches for providing the queuing necessary to smooth fluctuations in packet arrivals to a high-performance packet switch. They are (1) input queuing, where a separate buffer is provided at each input to the switch; (2) input smoothing, where a frame of b packets is stored at each of the input line to the switch and simultaneously launched into a switch fabric of size Nb×Nb; (3) output queuing, where packets are queued in a separate first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer located at each output of the switch; and (4) completely shared buffering, where all queuing is done at the outputs and all buffers are completely shared among all the output lines. Input queues saturate at an offered load that depends on the service policy and the number of inputs N, but is approximately 0.586 with FIFO buffers when N is large. Output queuing and completely shared buffering both achieve the optimal throughput-delay performance for any packet switch. However, compared to output queuing, completely shared buffering requires less buffer memory at the expense of an increase in switch fabric size     

Techniques for optical packet switching and optical burst switching

Wavelength-division multiplexing appears to be the solution of choice for providing a faster networking infrastructure that can meet the explosive growth of the Internet. Several different technologies have been developed so far for the transfer of data over WDM. We survey two new technologies which are still in the experimental stage-optical packet switching and optical burst switching-and comment on their suitability for transporting IP traffic     

Photonic packet switches: architectures and experimentalimplementations

Photonic packet switches offer high speed, data rate and format transparency, and flexibility required by future computer communications and cell-based telecommunications networks. In this paper, we review experimental progress in state-of-the-art photonic packet switches with an emphasis on all-optical guided-wave systems. The term all-optical implies that the data portion of a packet remains in optical format from the source to the destination. While the data remain all-optical, both optical and optoelectronic techniques have been used to process packet routing functions based on extremely simple routing protocols. An overview of the design issues for all-optical photonic packet switching is given and contrasted with electronic packet switch implementations. Low-level functions that have been experimentally implemented include routing, contention resolution, synchronization, and header regeneration. System level demonstrations, including centralized photonic switching and distributed all-optical multihop networks, will be reviewed     

Wavelength conversion in optical packet switching

A detailed traffic analysis of optical packet switch design is performed. Special consideration is given to the complexity of the optical buffering and the overall switch block structure is considered in general. Wavelength converters are shown to improve the traffic performance of the switch blocks for both random and bursty traffic. Furthermore, the traffic performance of switch blocks with add-drop switches has been assessed in a Shufflenetwork showing the advantage of having converters at the inlets. Finally, the aspect of synchronization is discussed through a proposal to operate the packet switch block asynchronously, i.e. without packet alignment at the input     

Approaches to optical Internet packet switching

Wavelength-division multiplexing is currently being deployed in telecommunications networks in order to satisfy the increased demand for capacity brought about by the explosion in Internet use. The most widely accepted network evolution prediction is via an extension of these initial predominantly point-to-point deployments, with limited system functionalities, into highly interconnected networks supporting circuit-switched paths. While current applications of WDM focus on relatively static usage of individual wavelength channels, optical switching technologies enable fast dynamic allocation of WDM channels. The challenge involves combining the advantages of these relatively coarse-grained WDM techniques with emerging optical switching capabilities to yield a high-throughput optical platform directly underpinning next-generation networks. One alternative longer-term strategy for network evolution employs optical packet switching, providing greater flexibility, functionality, and granularity. This article reviews progress on the definition of optical packet switching and routing networks capable of providing end-to-end optical paths and/or connectionless transport. To date the approaches proposed predominantly use fixed-duration optical packets with lower-bit-rate headers to facilitate processing at the network-node interfaces. Thus, the major advances toward the goal of developing an extensive optical packet-switched layer employing fixed-length packets are summarized, but initial concepts on the support of variable-length IP-like optical packets are also introduced. Particular strategies implementing the crucial optical buffering function at the switching nodes are described, motivated by the network functionalities required within the optical packet layer     

The evolving art of packet switching

Rapid developments in computer and information technology continue to expose new requirements for switched data services, e.g. teletext, electronic funds transfer, electronic mail. The features of packet switching make it attractive for many of these new services, and many countries, including the UK, now operate or plan to introduce public packet-switched data networks. But packet switching is a relatively new art, particularly in the realm of public-switched networks, and is itself developing rapidly, driven both by the increasing demand for switched data services and by advances in semiconductor technology. It tends therefore to be the preserve of a relatively small band of specialists. This paper reviews the principles, origins and evolution of packet switching, with particular reference to public-switched networks. The picture emerges of well laid foundations and the prospect of rapid expansion in public packet-switched networks throughout the world. The development of large switches, such as those being developed at BTRL, will play an important part in this.