Wavelength-division multiplexed optical packet networks for TCP-IP backbone

The current fast-growing Internet traffic is demanding more and more network capacity. Photonic packet switching offers high-speed, data rate/format transparency, and configurability, which are some of the important characteristics needed in future networks supporting different forms of data. We define optical backbone networks for IP transport consisting of optical packet core switches and optical fibers. We propose a multi-link optical packet switch managing as a single media which unifies the whole bandwidth of multiple wavelength link on the optical fiber in the WDM optical networks. The proposed switch uses optical packet memories of the output link equally as well as using the WDM buffer. So it cuts down the required number of buffers and realizes the optical packet memory economically.