Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A packet switch with a plurality of processing modules (PMs) interconnected via a shared transmission medium is provided with a flat distributed architecture so that each PM has the capability of exclusive control of establishing a path for a user connection through the switch when a call request (CR) packet is received at one of its input transmission lines to the switch, and in which the exclusive control is exercised to select the best available output transmission line among all output transmission lines from the switch whether the best is one of its own or one of those of another PM in the switch, so that the path for the user call connection through the switch established in response to a given CR packet is a single hop via the shared transmission medium between the source PM which established the path and the destination PM which has the selected output transmission line, except where a single PM is both the source and the destination PM. System administration within the switch, including tasks of software loading, redundancy establishment, switch reconfiguration, statistics collection and alarm reporting to a network management system, is performed by one or more PMs selected upon switch initialization according to programmed criteria, and the operation of the system administration PM(s) is monitored to detect failure thereof and upon such failure to appoint replacement PM(s) to perform the system administration tasks.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim