Controlled loops for quality-of-service differentiation in delay-sensitive optical burst switching networks

A novel quality-of-service (QoS) differentiation framework for optical burst switching networks is introduced. Two different methods are provided and subsequently validated. Particularly, both methods aim at using controlled loops as deflection routes, which assures an upper bounded number of hops from source to destination. This yields a 2-fold outcome. First, the insufficient offset time problematic of standard deflection routing under just-enough-time is solved. Second, excessively long delays owing to uncontrolled deflections are avoided. In both methods, the number of allowed loops is proposed as a QoS metric, giving support for class differentiation. This applies to a scenario with heterogeneous traffic demands, each one with different latency and burst loss requirements. The benefits of each proposal are quantified and further compared with existent alternatives by simulations.