Multipath structures are the base for many recently developed rerouting and protection switching mechanisms. All of these methods show a similar path layout, rely on traffic distribution, and promise resilience with only little backup capacity. Therefore, it is hard to recognize their commonalities and differences at first sight. This paper provides an overview of these related mechanisms and a comparative analysis regarding their applicability in optical and packet switched technologies, their path layout, their reaction time, their dynamic adaptability, and many other aspects.
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