An ATM cross-connect system for broadband transport networks based on virtual path concept

A broadband transport network architecture based on the virtual path concepts for ISDN is outlined. It is demonstrated that ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) cross-connected systems for provisioning virtual paths play an essential role in the network, and have a great impact on network architecture. The design of large-capacity ATM cross-connect systems using an input queuing scheme and a self-routing switch is presented. Efficient contention control algorithms (scheduling algorithms) are proposed in order to improve the throughput, and a distributed design example is described. A planar homogeneous self-routing switch is also proposed for easy expansion of switch size. This architecture allows the development of large-capacity ATM cross-connect systems for future broadband transport networks