Non-blocking high capacity fine grain switch

A communications network including a high capacity switch for switching communications traffic, the high capacity switch having:

• a plurality of differing granularity switching levels, each switching level having at least one switch node capable of performing a switching operation at the granularity of the switching level;
• and
• at least two primary connections, each connecting one of the switching levels to another one of the switching levels, wherein at one of the switching levels, at least one switch node is capable of switching communications traffic along at least one switch connection path established along one of the primary connections, to fill it to a predetermined level, and is capable of switching communications traffic which is not able to fill such a path to the predetermined level, along at least one secondary connection to another switch node within the same switching level.

A switch node forming part of a high capacity switch for switching communications traffic, the high capacity switch having:

• a plurality of differing granularity switching levels, each switching level having at least one switch node capable of performing a switching operation at the granularity of the switching level;
• and
• at least two primary connections, each connecting one of the switching levels to another one of the switching levels, wherein at one of the switching levels, at least one switch node is capable of switching communications traffic along at least one switch connection path established along one of the primary connections, to fill it to a predetermined level and is capable of switching communications traffic which is not able to fill such a path to the predetermined level, along at least one secondary connection to another switch node within the same switching level.