US 5,309,430 AGranted

Telecommunication system

AssigneeAlcatel

InventorsHenri A. J. Verhille, Michel A. R. Henrion, Michel P. De Somer, Bart J. G. Pauwels

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Abstract

A telecommunication system for transmitting cells through switching nodes (N1-3) interconnected by groups (LG12, LG23) of transmission links, each node including an asynchronous switching network (SN1-3) which comprises several switch elements. At least one of these switch elements possesses a routing group possibility whereby the cells are distributed over its outlets and so further over the different transmission links of the link group to which the switching network is connected. This distribution is performed in function of a self-routing tag which is derived from external routing data associated with the cell. At the input ports of either each or only the first switching network (SN1) of the system, the external routing data is translated in a self-routing tag which is for instance added to the header of the cell, while at the output ports of each or of only the last switching network (SN3) of the system respectively, the self-routing tag is removed from this header. Some switch elements possess a multicast possibility whereby the cells are transferred to several outlets thereof and thereby to several link groups to which the switching network is connected.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Telecommunication system including at least a first (N1) and a second (N2, N3) switching node interconnected by a group (LG12, LG23) of at least two transmission links over which cells of information are transferred, each switching node (N1, N2, N3) including an asynchronous switching network (SN1, SN2, SN3) having input ports (IP1-2048) and output ports (OP1-2048) and including a plurality of switch elements (S11-38) arranged in several stages (S1-3) between said input ports and said output ports, the transmission links of said group (LG12, LG23) interconnecting at least one set of output ports of the switching network (SN1) of said first node (N1) with at least one corresponding set of input ports of the switching network (SN2, SN3) of said second node (N2, N3), each of said switch elements having inlets and outlets and being able to transfer a cell received on one of its inlets to one or several of its outlets as a function of routing data associated with said cell, the input ports (IP1-2048) and the output ports (OP1-2048) of each switching network (SN) corresponding to the inlets and to the outlets of the switch elements of a first (S1) and of a last (S3) of said stages respectively,

wherein, in said first switching node (N1), the switching network (SN1) includes at least one switch element (S11/38) which possesses at least three outlets arranged in groups of outlets (OL1-8), each group of outlets comprising at least one outlet, that said routing data designates said set of output ports, said cell being transferred to one output port (OP1-2048) belonging to said set, and that, as a function of said routing data, said one switch element identifies a group (OL1/8) of its outlets and transfers said cell to one outlet selected from among the outlets of said identified group of outlets,
wherein each cell is transferred through said switching networks (SN1, SN2, SN3) according to a self-routing method and in that the routing process of a cell through said second switching node (N2, N3) is independent of the input port (IP1/2048) out of said set of input ports at which said cell is received.

Telecommunication system, including at least a first (N1) and a second (N2, N3) switching node interconnected by a group (LG12, LG23) of at least two transmission links over which cells of information are transferred, each switching node (N1, N2, N3) including an asynchronous switching network (SN1, SN2, SN3) having input ports (IP1-2048) and output ports (OP1-2048) and including a plurality of switch elements (S11-38) arranged in several stages (S1-3) between said input ports and said output ports, the transmission links of said group (LG12, LG23) interconnecting at least one set of output ports of the switching network (SN1) of said first node (N1) with at least one corresponding set of input ports of the switching network (SN2, SN3) of said second node (N2, N3), each of said switch elements having inlets and outlets and being able to transfer a cell received on one of its inlets to one or several of its outlets as a function of routing data associated with said cell, the input ports (IP1-2048) and the output ports (OP1-2048) of each switching network (SN) corresponding to the inlets and to the outlets of the switch elements of a first (S1) and of a last (S3) of said stages respectively,

wherein, in said first switching node (N1), the switching network (SN1) includes at least one switch element (S11/38) which possesses at least three outlets arranged in groups of outlets (OL1-8), each group of outlets comprising at least one outlet, that said routing data designates said set of output ports, said cell being transferred to one output port (OP1-2048) belonging to said set, and that, as a function of said routing data, said one switch element identifies a group (OL1/8) of its outlets and transfers said cell to one outlet selected from among the outlets of said identified group of outlets,
wherein said routing data designates several sets of output ports, that said associated cell has to be transferred to one output port (OP1/2048) out of each of said sets, and that, as a function of said routing data, at least one switch element identifies a set of groups of outlets and transfers, for each group (OL1-8) of said identified set, said cell to one outlet selected from among the outlets of said group.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/918,450Filed 22 Jul 1992
Priority: EP 91201915.522 Jul 1991
Granted: 3 May 1994
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 12/5601
Packet switching systems: transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
H04L 49/1553
Interconnection of switching modules: interconnection of ATM switching modules, e.g. ATM switching fabrics
H04L 49/203
Multicast operation; Broadcast operation: aTM switching fabrics with multicast or broadcast capabilities
H04L 49/256
Routing or path finding in a switch fabric: routing or path finding in ATM switching fabrics