A fast optical switch is needed to realize an economical and scaleable optical-core
network. In the disclosed optical switch, switching is effected by rapid wavelength
conversion. Either channel switching, Time Division Multiplex (TDM) switching or
both may be provided by the fast optical switch. The operation of the fast optical
switch is enabled by a fast scheduler. The throughput of the optical switch may
be increased through a process of bimodal pipelined connection-packing. An in-band
exchange of control signals with external nodes may serve to minimize the control
overhead. Such control signals may include time-locking signals and connection-requests.
A modular structure may be configured to comprise several fast optical switches
to yield a high-speed, high-capacity, fully-connected optical switch.
