Patent ID: 8335434

Claim:
An optical arbitration system for arbitrating requests for access to time-limited resources from resource requestors in a computer system, the system comprising: a waveguide; a light source for sending tokens of light in different wavelength channels over the waveguide, wherein each token of light represents availability of an associated one of the resources for a particular period; and for each of the resource requestors, an associated light diverter coupled with the waveguide for diverting respective ones of the tokens of light, associated detectors for respectively detecting respective ones of the tokens of light diverted by the associated light diverter, wherein each token of light can be detected by only a single detector; wherein for each period each of the wavelength channels is uniquely assigned to respective ones of the resources; each of one or more of the resource requestors bids for access to a respective one of the resources by activating the respectively associated light diverter, and when two or more of the resource requestors bid for access to a particular one of the target resources, a particular one of the two or more resource requestors obtains exclusive access to the particular target resource based on detection of the token on the wavelength channel currently assigned to the particular resource by a respective one of the detectors associated with the particular resource requestor.