Agile optical-core distributed packet switch

An agile optical-core distributed packet switch, comprising:

• a plurality of distributed core modules, each core module including a plurality of parallel optical space switches;
• and
• a plurality of distributed fast-switching ingress edge modules, each ingress edge module having a plurality of ingress ports for receiving payload traffic from subtending sources via outer channels and a plurality of egress ports for transferring payload traffic to the core modules via a plurality of inner channels;
• a plurality of distributed egress edge modules having a plurality of ingress ports for receiving payload traffic from the core modules via inner channels and a plurality of egress ports for transferring the payload traffic to subtending sinks via outer channels;
• and
• a controller associated with each core module, the controller instructing the fast-switching edge modules to switch from unused inner channels to respective new inner channels reconfigured in the core module, without interrupting data transfer from the source edge-modules.