System design and evaluation of a large photonic switch based on optical codes for optical burst switched networks

This paper investigates the performance of a multi-stage Clos architecture having a bufferless switch based on optical codes as basic switching element. This multi-stage switch is suitable as core node in OBS networks. Optical codes are used for coding incoming bursts in each switching element to perform the switching function. To this end it employs encoders and decoders and possible output contentions are solved in the wavelength domain by means of variable-input fixed-output wavelength converters.