Performance meets technology - an integrated evaluation of OBS nodes with FDL buffers

In this paper, we show the benefit of an integrated analysis of performance and technology, as both signal degradation and burst losses limit the effective throughput of optical burst switching nodes. The investigation covers the Tune-andSelect (TAS) base architecture as well as extensions with dedicated and shared FDL buffers. First, we describe these node architectures and the OBS reservation scheme considered. Then, we analyze OBS nodes separately from a performance and from a technological/signal degradation point of view. Finally, we present results from the integrated scalability analysis. It is shown that reducing burst loss probability by applying more complex FDL buffers yields smaller maximum throughput due to smaller OBS nodes and in total even a reduced effective throughput under dynamic traffic.