Parallel transfer optical packet switches

For efficient utilization of bandwidth in optical packet switching, the guard time Tgbetween packets should only be a small fraction of the packet transmission time Td. Since the guard time Tgof existing packet switching approaches must be larger than the reconfiguration time Tswof optical switches, this imposes a stringent demand on the switch reconfiguration time Tswas the transmission rate of optical fibers increases. By using batch transfer of packets or multiple switching fabrics in parallel, the requirement on the switch reconfiguration time can be significantly relaxed. The utilization of the transmission links can be greatly improved because the guard time between packets is no longer constrained by the switch reconfiguration time.