A performance model is presented for an optical packet switch architecture in which the wavelength converters are shared per output link and each output link consists of multiple fibers. Symmetry of the switch is exploited to derive the packet loss probability for the case where traffic is destined to different output ports with equal probability. The architecture performance is evaluated by means of an analytical model and confirmed by simulations under different switch parameter configurations. Wavelength converters are shown to improve the packet loss probability of the switch. The study shows that synchronous switches equipped with full conversion would have the least conversion utilization rate indicating that the use of a switch with less converter count, i.e., partial conversion, would offer better switch resources utilization and comparable packet loss performance.
Ayman G. Fayoumi, Fahad A. Al-Zahrani, Abdulgader