Path allocation access control in fiber optic communication systems

A path-oriented channel allocation management approach is introduced for the emerging high-bandwidth fiber optic star networks. In the proposed approach, the transmission channel of the source node and the reception channel of the destination node are synchronized at the central switching node, creating a virtual path for packet communication between any two nodes. The number of virtual paths that can be established simultaneously, i.e. the number of concurrent packet transmissions, equals the number of channels in the network. The proposed path allocation thus provides maximum spatial reuse not found in existing fiber optic star systems. The provision of a virtual path for every packet eliminates the need for buffering at the central node and provides bounded delays