Scalable architecture for large scale switching network

An alternative approach to constructing a scalable broadband communication switch, based on a three-dimensional mesh topology, is described. It is motivated by the recognition that large-scale switching structures are wire limited; the complexity of what can be physically implemented is limited by its total wiring complexity. By analyzing the communication requirements of a switching network, the author derives results on the overall wiring complexity which must be satisfied by any switching network, regardless of its connection topology. In particular, the notion of the network bisection bandwidth, which determines the aggregate network throughput for random message traffic, is introduced. The blocking cut-through switching technique and the corresponding deadlock-free routing algorithms for the blocking cut-through technique over rectilinear mesh networks are presented. The author examines some control issues involved in the operation of a large-scale broadband communication switch and suggests a possible scheme for managing the virtual circuits through such a switch, based on a distributed message-passing computation model. He then presents some simulation statistics that illustrate the typical network performance behaviors obtained under random traffic