A WDMA protocol for multichannel DQDB networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) provides another dimension of freedom to tap into the vast optical bandwidth. High-speed lightwave networks employing linear fiber bus topology have become attractive with the emergence of erbium-doped optical amplifiers. In this paper we propose a media access protocol for a WDM lightwave LAN/MAN assuming dual bus topology, which is an extension of the distributed queue dual bus (DQDB) network to the multichannel case. A large number of stations connected to both buses are supported using a small number of wavelengths. An approximate mathematical model is constructed to analyze the performance of the proposed protocol, with its accuracy verified by simulations. Numerical results show, that the protocol can achieve very good throughput and delay performance. Moreover, the network demonstrates better fairness in access delays than single-channel DQDB network