Exact Performance Analysis of FDL Buffers with Correlated Arrivals

Optical burst switching provides a future-proof alternative to the current electronic switching in the backbone, where buffering is implemented with a set of fiber delay lines (FDLs). Previous performance studies pointed out the related performance loss, but do not allow an exact and general quantification of the impact of correlation. The optical buffer model we constructed considers general inter-arrival times and burst sizes, and is generic and exact for general line lengths. This document provides formulas for waiting time and loss performance. Also, performance graphs illustrate the paramount impact of correlation, that can be determined exactly with the developed model.