Abstract: Methods to achieve bounded router buffer sizes and Quality of Service guarantees for traffic flows in a packet-switched network are described. The network can be an Internet Protocol (IP) network, a Differentiated Services network, an MPLS network, wireless mesh network or an optical network. The routers can use input queueing, possibly in combination with crosspoint queueing and/or output queueing. Routers may schedule QoS-enabled traffic flows to ensure a bounded normalized service lead/lag. Each QoS-enabled traffic flow will buffer O(K) packets per router, where K is an integer bound on the normalized service lead/lag. Three flow-scheduling methods are analysed. Non-work-conserving flow-scheduling methods can guarantee a bound on the normalized service lead/lag, while work-conserving flow-scheduling methods typically cannot guarantee the same small bound.

Abstract: Methods to achieve bounded router buffer sizes and Quality of Service guarantees for traffic flows in a packet-switched network are described. The network can be an Internet Protocol (IP) network, a Differentiated Services network, an MPLS network, wireless mesh network or an optical network. The routers can use input queueing, possibly in combination with crosspoint queueing and/or output queueing. Routers may schedule QoS-enabled traffic flows to ensure a bounded normalized service lead/lag. Each QoS-enabled traffic flow will buffer O(K) packets per router, where K is an integer bound on the normalized service lead/lag. Three flow-scheduling methods are analysed. Non-work-conserving flow-scheduling methods can guarantee a bound on the normalized service lead/lag, while work-conserving flow-scheduling methods typically cannot guarantee the same small bound.

Abstract: Transmitters, receivers, and coding schemes to increase data rate and decrease bit error rate of an optical data link are disclosed. Data is transmitted across the link with a less than nominal bit error rate (BER), by encoding the data using a forward error correction (FEC) code or by requesting retransmission of transmitted packets in error. Data is transmitted at a speed that introduces errors at a rate that is in excess of the nominal BER but that may be corrected using the FEC code or retransmission so that the data may be received with less than the nominal BER. The data rate is increased as the link operating speed is increased beyond the overhead required by the FEC codes or retransmission. High speed FEC encoders and decoders facilitating such transmission are disclosed.

Abstract: Transmitters, receivers, and coding schemes to increase data rate and decrease bit error rate of an optical data link are disclosed. Data is transmitted across the link with a less than nominal bit error rate (BER), by encoding the data using a forward error correction (FEC) code or by requesting retransmission of transmitted packets in error. Data is transmitted at a speed that introduces errors at a rate that is in excess of the nominal BER but that may be corrected using the FEC code or retransmission so that the data may be received with less than the nominal BER. The data rate is increased as the link operating speed is increased beyond the overhead required by the FEC codes or retransmission. High speed FEC encoders and decoders facilitating such transmission are disclosed.

Abstract: A packaged smart pixel array for a reconfigurable intelligent optical interconnect is described. The smart pixel array (298) comprises an optical-to-electronic optical I/O channel 68 input means, an electronic-to-optical optical I/O channel 68 output means, an electrical channel input means (134), an electrical channel output means (114), a data switching means (110) for switching data from optical channel input means to electrical channel output means, a data switching means (130) for switching data from electrical channel input means and optical channel input means to optical channel output means and a packaging means (300) which packages all these means onto a single package with identifiable input and output port means. The smart pixel array makes possible the realization of a reconfigurable optical interconnect which implements multiple reconfigurable optical communication channels.