Dual-header optical burst switching: a new architecture for WDM burst-switched networks

In this paper we introduce a new signalling architecture called dual-header optical burst switching (DOBS) for next generation burst-switching optical networks. Using DOBS, the functional offset size of every burst on a given link can be set to the same size without the use of fiber delay line buffers. This allows DOBS to realize lower burst-scheduling complexity, lower ingress delay, higher throughput and better fairness than conventional single-header OBS systems. We present a new burst-scheduling algorithm called free channel queue scheduling that requires only O(1) time to execute and that achieves optimal performance in constant-offset DOBS systems. Using simulation, we find that the blocking probability of a 16-channel DOBS system is 50% lower than that of a similar LAUC-VF JET OBS system. We also show that DOBS achieves better fairness than JET OBS with respect to burst length and with respect to the residual path length of bursts.