Design of Optical Switching Module for Gigabit Ethernet Optical Switched Access Network

Abstract

This paper introduces the design of an Optical Switching Module (OSM) for our newly proposed Gigabit Ethernet Optical Switched Access Network (GE-OSAN) architecture that uses the Multi-Point Control Protocol (MPCP), defined in IEEE 802.3ah. We outline the GE-OSAN architecture to clarify OSM's role in the network. We offer an OSM configuration that has the basic functions needed to realize downstream and upstream high-speed data services in GE-OSAN. We clarify the OSM optical switching time that allows GE-OSAN to achieve the same throughput as GE-PON. Our survey of currently available optical switches identifies the optical packet switches that can meet this switching time requirement. We evaluate OSM insertion loss with these switches. We propose an OSM configuration that has a regeneration function as well as the basic ones to realize wider network configurations that can lead to a reduction in overall system costs. In addition, we present OSM configurations that have broadcast and multicast functions as well as the basic ones so that GE-OSAN can support broadcast and multicast video services to equal and exceed GE-PON.