This paper addresses the problem of routing connections in a reconfigurable optical network using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Each connection between nodes is assigned a unique path and wavelength to ensure that no two connections sharing a common link use the same wavelength. The authors derive an upper bound on the traffic carried by connections, which scales with the number of wavelengths and is achieved asymptotically by a fixed routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithm. This bound can be used to compare the performance of different RWA algorithms for moderate-sized networks. The paper compares the performance of a simple shortest-path RWA (SP-RWA) algorithm with this bound through simulations. Additionally, a similar bound is derived for optical networks using dynamic wavelength converters, equivalent to circuit-switched telephone networks, and compared for different network examples. The amount of wavelength reuse achievable in large networks using the SP-RWA is quantified as a function of the number of nodes, edges, and wavelengths, showing that it is feasible to support multiple all-optical connections per node with a limited number of wavelengths. The results also indicate that wavelength converters can increase wavelength reuse by 10-40% in networks with small numbers of wavelengths.This paper addresses the problem of routing connections in a reconfigurable optical network using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Each connection between nodes is assigned a unique path and wavelength to ensure that no two connections sharing a common link use the same wavelength. The authors derive an upper bound on the traffic carried by connections, which scales with the number of wavelengths and is achieved asymptotically by a fixed routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithm. This bound can be used to compare the performance of different RWA algorithms for moderate-sized networks. The paper compares the performance of a simple shortest-path RWA (SP-RWA) algorithm with this bound through simulations. Additionally, a similar bound is derived for optical networks using dynamic wavelength converters, equivalent to circuit-switched telephone networks, and compared for different network examples. The amount of wavelength reuse achievable in large networks using the SP-RWA is quantified as a function of the number of nodes, edges, and wavelengths, showing that it is feasible to support multiple all-optical connections per node with a limited number of wavelengths. The results also indicate that wavelength converters can increase wavelength reuse by 10-40% in networks with small numbers of wavelengths.