LAN and switching systems: flexibility and performance through architectural design

Faced with the explosion of new services and user demand, telecommunication systems must remain open, flexible, and capable of absorbing new components. To meet this challenge both in terms of modularity and performance as well as upgradeability and security, one approach is to structure a system composed of multiple processor stations connected to a local network. The authors describe how the structure of a telecommunications system can be modelled by loosely distributing its application software onto an adaptable number of physical machines interconnected by a highly secured communication medium based on LAN technology. The main characteristics of such a structure are also discussed and include traffic adaptability, functional evolution, and fault tolerance. Issues related to local network standards, the increasingly widespread use of integrating components, and the possibility of integrating constantly evolving technology are presented. The authors emphasize a number of specific implementation options, and address innovative solutions mainly related to system extensions and defense