Blazelan: a photonic local-area network for distributed and parallel processing

Abstract

Blazelan, a local-area network that can support gigabit-per-second throughput with very low delay (on the order of tens to hundreds of microseconds), is described. the basic idea behind the Blazelan design is the use of the fiber links as storage for packets in transit, thus eliminating the need for switch memory, simplifying the switch design, and featuring fast, 'on the fly', switching. Because of the distribution of storage throughout the network, congestion control and flow control up to the network layer are inherently provided in Blazelan. The use of source routing simplifies the routing operation. Because of the absence of conventional memory and the simple switching node design, Blazelan lends itself to photonic implementation. Blazelan is an example of the future types of extended bus local area networks that provide high-performance communication for future distributed and parallel processing systems. >