Metropolitan area network using photonic switching.

Abstract

The high-bandwidth characteristic has made fiber optics very attractive for metropolitan area network (MAN) implementation. This paper describes the architecture and performance of an integrated fiber optics MAN called TreeNet. The upper level of the TreeNet consists of a tree and the lower level consists of linear buses. Stations are connected to the linear buses via passive taps while branches of the tree are interconnected using passive couplers. Active nodes are used between the two levels for traffic filtering. A Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) multihop architecture, ShuffleNet, is used for this TreeNet. Three hierarchical design models are proposed: (1) ShuffleNet in the upper level and Synchronous Time Division Multiplexing (STDM) in the lower level, (2) ShuffleNets in both upper and lower levels with dedicated channels between stations and the active nodes, (3) same as (2) except there are no dedicated channels. The performances of networks based on these three proposals are evaluated and discussed.