Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Switching a message which includes an address header
Patent
1996-10-24
2000-03-21
Horabik, Michael
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Switching a message which includes an address header
370375, 370907, H04L 1228, H04L 1256, H04L 1250, H04Q 1100
Patent
active
060410558
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A good telecommunications switch needs more than just sound switching theory, it needs to meet its functional requirements and it also needs to be a soundly engineered product.
There are many switching theory techniques, a number of ways of functionally partitioning such techniques, and even more implementation methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a telecommunications switch fabric comprising at least two switches of different granularities which are connected together by means of a terminating device wherein the higher granularity circuits from the first switch are terminated and demultiplexed into the lower granularity circuits for the second switch in addition to the lower granularity circuits from the second switch being multiplexed together to form higher granularity circuits for the first switch.
In a preferred embodiment the circuits handled by the first switch are Virtual Containers (VCs) and the circuits handled by the second switch are 64 kbit/s circuits and the terminating device is a Multiple Primary Rate Terminating device which unpacks the VCs received from the VC switch and extracts the frame alignment signal therefrom and aligns the circuits contained by the VCs to the timing of the 64 kbit/s switch before transmitting the circuits to the 64 kbit/s switch as well as receiving the 64 kbit/s circuits from the 64 kbit/s switch and adding the primary rate framing information and the VC overhead and justification information before transmitting the VCs to the VC switch.
In an alternative embodiment the circuits handled by the first switch are Virtual Containers (VCs) and the circuits handled by the second switch are ATM cells and the terminating device is a Header Translation Unit which unpacks the VCs received from the VC switch and extracts the ATM cells before transmitting the cells to the ATM switch as well as receiving the cells from the ATM switch and adding the VC overhead and justification information before transmitting the VCs to the VC switch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG.1 shows an example of a Single Fabric 64 kbit/s and VC switch, and
FIG. 2 shows an example of separate ATM, 64 kbit/s and VC Switch Fabrics.
FIG. 3 shows separate ATM, 64 kbit/s and VC switch fabrics with a multiple mux/demux for ATM and VC12;
FIG. 4 shows separate ATM, 64 kbit/s and VC switch fabrics with a multiple mux/demux for ATM and VC4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A reconfigurable switch memory which is applicable to time switches and space switches enables two very different time switching functions to be efficiently implemented by one type of switching unit.
Such a reconfigurable switching device may for instance work in either one bit or five bit mode, the granularity of the switch being varied.
An example is where a Synchronous Transfer Mode Switch (STM) having means for a plurality of STM-1 interfaces is further arranged for 32 kbit/s, 64 kbit/s or Virtual Container (VC) switching.
Such reconfigurable switches are described in United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB 2264612A imported herein by reference.
Additionally, in United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB9309449.8, a multiplexer/demultiplexer (mux/demux) described which is used with a multiplexer format comprising a plurality of CBR time slots wherein a time slot which is not used for CBR traffic is used for message based traffic to provide a composite CBR/message based data stream. For example, the mux/demux could carry CBR services based on a regular 125.mu. seconds time base as well as statistical traffic based on ATM cells. United Kingdom Patent Application No. 9309449.8 is imported herein by reference.
A switch has to be able to transfer input circuits to output circuits. A multipurpose switch must be able to handle more than one type of circuit.
One way of achieving this is to have parallel switch fabrics wit
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Harper Kevin C.
Horabik Michael
Marconi Communications Limited
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