Abstract
The application of switching theory for the construction of various types of queues, is discussed. A sample path of a discrete time queue with a single input link and a single output link is a mapping from arrivals to the departures, similar to the mapping that connects the inputs of a switch to the outputs of a switch. Fixed size packets are considered over optical links and time is assumed to be slotted and synchronized in these optical links. The basic construction element is called an optical memory cell, constructed by a 2×2 optical crossbar switch and a fiber delay line with one time slot of delay. The 2×2 crossbar switch is set to the ""cross"" state to direct the packet to the fiber delay line with one time slot delay. A non-overtaking delay line is a First In First Out (FIFO) queue with known departure times upon arrivals which can be constructed by a concatenation of a linear compressor and a linear decompressor.