Multicasting and Security Services for Next-Generation Gigabit Local Lightwave Networks

Abstract

Abstract : Emerging high-bandwidth networking applications and an increasing number of users on the Internet are strong indicators that our next generation of networks much employ very-high- speed bitways. Fortunately, lightwave networks employing wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) do provide the necessary high-speed backbone where the huge fiber bandwidth is carved up into a number of nonoverlapping wavelength channels, each of which can be operated at electronic speed, e.g., a few Ghps, and which, as a result, can be accessed directly by end-users. WDM optical networks are now becoming commercial. At Davis, we have been researching architectures for WDM optical networks. Specifically, we have found that multicasting, which is an emerging important networking application, can be naturally accommodated by the broadcast- and-select variety of local lightwave networks. Our research supported by this agreement has produced many new and important results in multicasting, as summarized below. Unfortunately, our investigation on anti-sniffing security measures in local lightwave networks was not as successful.