Knockout packet loss probability analysis of SCWP optical packet switching wavelength distributed knockout architecture

The deployment of optical packet switching (OPS) in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) backbone networks is perceived as a medium term promising alternative. Scalability restrictions imply that conventional switching architectures are unfeasible in this large-scale scenario. In a previous paper, the wavelength-distributed knockout architecture was proposed as a cost-effective scaling strategy for OPS switching fabrics. In this paper, this growable architecture is applied to OPS switching fabrics able to emulate output buffering. We also propose an scheduling algorithm which provides optimum performance if knockout packet losses are made negligible. The mathematical analysis to evaluate the knockout packet loss probability of this architecture is obtained, under uniform and non-uniform traffic patterns. To complement the switch dimensioning process, an upper bound assuring 0-knockout packet losses is compared with the exact analytical results.