Network Architecture of a Packet-switched WDM LAN/MAN

We propose a packet-switched WDM slotted ring network with destination release. The total bandwidth of each channel is divided into a fixed number of equal-sized slots. The nodes are equipped with fixed transmitters and tunable receivers. Control information, which is transmitted on a specific wavelength, is electronically processed at every node while the payload is kept in the optical domain. This reduces packet-delay and provides protocol and bit-rate transparencies. Among other issues involved in the design of such a network, we discuss a node architecture that takes into account multicasting and problems related to fiber dispersion.