Packet delay in optical circuit-switched networks

Abstract

A framework is provided for evaluation of packet delay distribution in an optical circuit-switched network. The framework is based on a fluid traffic model, packet queueing at edge routers, and circuit-switched transmission between edge routers. Packets are assigned to buffers according to their destination, delay constraint, physical route and wavelength. At every decision epoch, a subset of buffers is allocated to end-to-end circuits for transmission, where circuit holding times are based on limited and exhaustive circuit allocation policies. To ensure computational tractability, the framework approximates the evolution of each buffer independently. "Slack variables" are introduced to deco..