System-level runtime reconfigurability - Optical interconnection networks for switching applications

The performance requirements on data and telecommunication switches and routers are continuously increasing and it is evident that new ideas and architectures must come to light to satisfy these new demands. In this paper, a runtime reconfigurable modular design approach is presented, using state-of-the-art micro-optical-electrical mechanical system (MOEMS) components. The paper introduces a novel field of reconfigurability, where reconfiguration is made on the system level instead of e.g. fine-granularity reconfigurable logic. Different reconfigurable system solutions with support to adapt for asymmetric traffic patterns are proposed and compared to see how design choices affect flexibility, performance etc. The proposed solutions are characterized by their multistage networks with reconfigurable shuffle patterns.