Batch scheduling algorithms: A class of wavelength schedulers in optical burst switching networks

This paper proposes a novel class of wavelength scheduling algorithms in optical burst switching networks. The proposed wavelength scheduling algorithms process a batch of data bursts together instead of processing them one by one. When a control burst with a reservation request arrives to a batch scheduler, the scheduler waits for a small amount of time, called the acceptance delay, before deciding to accept or reject the reservation request. After the acceptance delay has passed, the scheduler processes all the reservation requests that have arrived during the acceptance delay, then it accepts the requests that will maximize the utilization of the wavelength channels. We describe an optimal batch scheduler that serves as an upper bound on the performance of batch scheduling algorithms. Furthermore, we introduce four novel heuristic batch scheduling algorithms. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated using a discrete-event simulation model. Simulation results suggest that batch schedulers could decrease the the blocking probability by 25% compared the best previously known wavelength scheduling algorithm.