Path blocking performance in multifiber wavelength routing networks with and without wavelength conversion

The tradeoffs involving the use of multifiber multihop networks such as the number of fibers, number of wavelengths, conversion options, and the different switch configurations are examined, and their impact on end-to-end blocking and throughput performance is evaluated. Models relating network parameters to end-to-end performance of circuit switched all-optical networks are developed. The performance gain due to the use of multiple fibers with or without conversion proved to be superior to the single fiber case, when the total number of wavelength are the same, for traffic that traverses multiple hops between source and destination nodes.