SOLOS: All-Optical Label Switching Architecture for Next Generation Optical Internet

Abstract

A novel label switching architecture for all-optical label switching (AOLS) networks is firstly proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Proposed scheme adopts successful factors of existing architecture such as GMPLS, and to construct a high performance, scalable and manageable IP-based AOLS network. Similar to GMPLS, a particular label based on source routing information is attached to IP packets/burst for fast interconnection purpose rather than an option as source-routing in conventional IP framework, thus the scheme requires neither table lookup nor header replacing in the intermediate node, labeled packets will be quickly forwarded through self-routing, and the only operation in switching nodes is to strip off its part of the label which represents the output port, which eliminates the O/E/O conversion as much as possible. The benefits include simple switching process with low packet delay, higher security, and better scalability on next generation optical Internet.