All-optical packet-switched metropolitan-area network proposal

Abstract

A proposal for developing a precompetitive, commercially viable all-optical network architecture using dense optical wavelength division is described. The objective was to demonstrate a packet-switched high-capacity all-optical LAN/MAN network based on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and capable of supporting several hundred to a thousand nodes, each requiring gigabit-per-second throughputs. The discussion covers the rationale and objectives of the program; tunable components, optical amplifiers, network protocol, and application development; network interconnection studies; and testbed construction.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>