Models of blocking probability in all-optical networks with and without wavelength changers

We introduce a traffic model for circuit switched all-optical networks (AONs) which we then use to calculate the blocking probability along a path for networks with and without wavelength changers. We investigate the effects of path length, switch size, and interference length (the expected number of hops shared by two sessions which share at least one hop) on blocking probability and the ability of wavelength changers to improve performance. Our model correctly predicts unobvious qualitative behavior demonstrated in simulations by other authors.