The architecture of HORNET: A packet-over-WDM multiple-access optical metropolitan area ring network

To cost-effectively address the phenomenal demand for bandwidth in the metr opolitan area, the Optical Communications Research Laboratory at Stanford U niversity and Sprint Advanced Technology Laboratories have developed a nove l architecture for a large-scale metropolitan area network (MAN). The netwo rk, which is called HORNET, is a packet-over-WDM multiple-access network fe aturing the use of fast-tunable transmitters and a novel "CSMA/CA" media ac cess protocol to improve network efficiency well beyond that of today's sol ution. This paper presents the design and implementation of the network arc hitecture and gives an analytical discussion of its advantages. (C) 2000 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.