Rearrangeability of 2×2 W-S-W Elastic Switching Fabrics with Two Connection Rates

Abstract

The rearreangeable conditions for the 2×2 threestage switching fabric of a W-S-W architecture for elastic optical switches are considered in this paper. Analogies between the switching fabric considered and the three-stage Clos network are shown. On the other hand, differences are also shown, which presented the modifications required in the control algorithm used in rearrangeable networks. The rearrangeable conditions and the control algorithm are presented and proved. Operation of the proposed control algorithm is shown based on a few examples. The required number of frequency slot units in interstage links of rearrangeable switching fabrics is much lower than in the strict-sense non-blocking switching fabrics characterized by the same parameters.