Terabit per second distribution network

A single stage switch fabric partitioned into multiple partitions, said switch fabric having inputs to each partition produced according to a method comprising the steps of:

• representing each input port (I) by an eight-bit binary number (i.sub.7, i.sub.6, i.sub.5, i.sub.4, i.sub.3, i.sub.2, i.sub.1, i.sub.0) which is designated S;
• representing each 16.times.16 crossbar switch S.sub..theta. (I) to which the input port (I) is connected in partition .theta. by a six-bit binary number (s.sub.5, s.sub.4, s.sub.3, s.sub.2, s.sub.1, s.sub.0).theta.;
• connecting each input port (I) to an input on a respective crossbar switch S.sub..theta. (I) in each of said partitions according to a set of mapping functions that determines the connections according to Galois field theory to effectively reduce the ATM cell blocking probability thereof;
• and
• determining the connections according to the set of mapping functions which are:
• (s.sub.5, s.sub.4, s.sub.3, s.sub.2, s.sub.1, s.sub.0) 0=(0, 0, i.sub.3, i.sub.2, i.sub.1, i.sub.0);
• (s.sub.5, s.sub.4, s.sub.3, s.sub.2, s.sub.1, s.sub.0) 1=(0, 1, i.sub.7 XOR i.sub.3, i.sub.6 XOR i.sub.2, i.sub.5, XOR i.sub.1, i.sub.4 XOR i.sub.0);
• (s.sub.5, s.sub.4, s.sub.3, s.sub.2, s.sub.1, s.sub.0) 2=(1, 0, i.sub.7 XOR i.sub.2, i.sub.6 XOR i.sub.1, i.sub.5 XOR i.sub.0 XOR i.sub.7, i.sub.4 XOR i.sub.7) and
• (s.sub.5, s.sub.4, s.sub.3, s.sub.2, s.sub.1) 3=(1, 1, i.sub.7 XOR i.sub.1, i.sub.6 XOR i.sub.0 XOR i.sub.7, i.sub.5 XOR i.sub.7 XOR i.sub.2, i.sub.4 XOR I.sub.2).

A switch fabric for use in a telecommunications having a plurality of input lines connected to a plurality of line interfaces and a plurality of output lines connected to outputs of a plurality of output modules, said switch fabric comprising:

• a plurality of pipes with each pipe having a plurality of inputs, with each of said plurality of pipe inputs connecting to a respective output of said plurality of line interfaces such that each of said line interfaces has a fan-out equal to the number of said plurality of pipes;
• each of said pipes is a single stage network and provides a single path from any line interface output to an output line via an output module of the plurality of output modules;
• each of said output modules having a concentration ratio that is equal in number to the amount of the fan-out of the line interface outputs;
• and
• each path between an input line and its desired output line is sufficiently independent from the other paths through the other pipes between that input line and that desired output line that the probability of internal blocking is low
• wherein reducing the number of paths available to connect any input line to any output line to the same as the number of pipes substantially reduces the number of active devices needed for connections without an equivalent rise in the internal blocking probability.