Importance

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Abstract

A switch, which connects ports on a customer port module to ports on a network port module via time slots on a dime division multiplexing bus, determines for each connection a number of required time slots, based on the current switch configuration and/or the signal traffic at the associated port. The switch then determines if it has the required number of time slots available generally and if it can make the time slots available to the port. If so, the switch assigns the time slots to the port and completes the connection. The switch determines the number of time slots required by consulting a stored port type indicator table, which lists bandwidth demand based on port type, or by detecting in-band signaling information that indicates the bandwidth demand. If the table indicates that the switch includes non-blocking ports, the switch coordinates the number of time slots allocated to a connection with the number of slots required to be kept free for the non-blocking ports. The switch may thereafter dynamically allocate time slots to the connection, based on signal traffic. The switch may be reconfigured at the request of a customer, by updating routing and port type information stored in the switch. Also, control circuitry in the switch may initiate a reconfiguration, based on signal traffic.

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First Claim