SGER: Cost-Effective Buffering Scheme for WDM Optical Packet Interconnects

波分复用（WDM）技术的最近引入和快速增长提供了在计算和通信系统中利用光纤的巨大容量的平台。 光分组交换的主要难点是如何在解决分组竞争的同时最小化分组丢失。在这个SGER项目中，一种新的分组缓冲方案，结合光交换和电子缓冲的WDM光互连进行了探索。在该方案中，到达的未引起竞争的数据包被直接交换到输出光纤，其他数据包被交换到共享接收器并转换为电信号存储在缓冲区中，直到由共享发送器发送出去。本项目的重点是探讨拟议缓冲计划的可行性。该方案的性能进行了研究，通过分析建模和仿真，并研究了几个相关的实现问题。本项目的成果将为后续WDM光分组互连的研究奠定基础，为未来的计算机系统提供高性能的互连，享受快速切换和大缓冲容量。

Recent introduction and rapid growth of wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) technology provide a platform to exploit the huge capacity of optical fiber in computing and communication systems. The main difficulty of optical packet switching is how to resolve packet contention while minimizing packet loss. In this SGER project, a novel packet buffering scheme is explored for WDM optical interconnects which combines optical switching with electronic buffering. In the proposed scheme, arrived packets that do not cause contention are switched to output fibers directly; other packets are switched to shared receivers and converted to electronic signals and will be stored in the buffer until being sent out by shared transmitters. This project focuses on exploring the feasibility of the proposed buffering scheme. The performance of the scheme is studied through analytical modeling and simulations, and several related implementation issues are also investigated. The outcome of this project will be the foundation on which subsequent research on WDM optical packet interconnects will be launched to provide high-performance interconnects that enjoy both fast switching and large buffering capacity for future computer systems.