Performance Models for Multi-rate Circuits in Switched Multi-Channel Optical Networks

We consider optical networks with nodes interconnected by links comprising multiple channels. The blocking performance of such networks depends on the channel-switching capabilities of the nodes. In this paper, we focus on developing analytical models for evaluating the blocking performance in circuit-switched optical networks. Several architectures for channel-switching are presented. Multi-rate circuits may be established if different circuits are allocated different number of channels. Depending on how the network can assign the channels to circuits that request more than one channel, it is classified as a Data Splitting Network (DSN) or a non-DSN. We consider multi-rate circuits which require either a single channel or a given number of channels k (>1). Analytical models for computing blocking probabilities are developed for various channel-switching architectures at the nodes. The validity of the models is shown by comparing the analytical results with simulations. Numerical results in a single-fiber TDM wavelength-routing network suggest that limited channel-switching may be sufficient even for circuits that require more than one channel or slot. A comparison of DSN and non-DSN shows that data splitting can accommodate more multi-slot circuits at the expense of blocking more single-slot circuits.This work was supported in part by NSF Grants ANI-9973098 and ANI-9973111