Deflection routing in slotted self-routing networks with arbitrary topology

A deflection routing scheme for small to medium size future all-optical networks with arbitrary topologies is proposed. The proposed scheme assumes only single-bit all-optical processing and no buffers. The primary output selection and the alternate output choices by a packet at each node are encoded in the packet header in order to reduce the signal processing requirement. Additional features such as priority and time-to-live fields have also been defined. The performance of the deflection routing scheme is studied using the AT&T North America OC-48 optical fiber network topology.