Versatile optical code-based MPLS for circuit, burst, and packet switchings

We will present versatile optical code (OC)-based photonic MPLS, so-called OC-MPLS which ranges from circuit switching, burst switching, to packet switching. OC-label is an identifier attached to the data, of which information is mapped onto an optical code, a sequence of optical pulses. The OC-label recognition is performed by the optical correlation between an incoming OC-label and the OC-label entries. Unique to the OC-label processing is that it is analog operation entirely in optical domain, and no optical logic operation is involved, therefore, the processing speed is only limited by the propagation delay in the optical correlator, which is a passive optical device. This is a key to the ultrahigh-speed processing capability. Circuit switching of OC-label switched path (OC-LSP) is characterized by the finer data granularity than the wavelength path of GMPS, resulting in a better bandwidth efficiency. In a one-way reservation protocol of photonic burst switching, the OC-labeled control packet improves the throughput by nearly cutting the offset time between the control packet and the following data burst. OC-labeled header of the packet can enables the ultrafast routing in photonic packet switching. To exploit the ultrafast routing capability, a new packet switch architecture is investigated, in which the longest-prefix match algorithm as well as WDM buffering into the fiber delay lines are introduced.