Buffer sizing in internet routers

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Until recently, Internet routers were widely believed to need large buffers. Commercial routers today have huge packet buffers, often storing millions of packets, under the assumption that large buffers lead to good statistical multiplexing and hence efficient use of expensive long-haul links. Recently, we (while at Stanford) showed that one can build a network with much smaller buffers still---with only a few dozen packet buffers in each router, at the expense of 100% link utilization. There are interesting practical consequences if this is correct. It could remove one major roadblock to building optical packet-switched routers. Recent advances in technology (at UCSB) also make possible optical FCFS packet buffers that can hold a few dozen packets in an integrated opto-electronic chip; larger all-optical buffers remain infeasible.