Method for void-filling and transmitting burst data over optical burst switching network

A method for transmitting a burst control packet (BCP) that contains time offset information of corresponding burst data (BD) to be received by a node in an optical burst switching (OBS) network, and transmitting the BD that is received at an interval of the offset time from the BCP, the method comprising:

• defining a void filling time within an offset time, the void filling time is at least long enough to be filled with a new BD received after an initial first in time BD and an initial second in time BD are received;
• determining whether a second in time BCP is received within the void filling time after the reception of a first in time BCP;
• transmitting the new BD when the second in time BCP is not received within the void filling time;
• and
• transmitting a subsequent first in time BD corresponding to the first in time BCP by delaying the subsequent first in time BD by the void filling time,
• wherein the first in time BDs, the second in time BDs and the new BDs each correspond to different IP packets and the new BD is originally received after the first in time and second in time BDs at the node.