Integrated switch and cross-connect systems as a flexible transport network

Describes integrated switch and cross-connect systems that provide flexible fiber-optic bandwidth allocation to accommodate varying traffic patterns. The digital cross-connect systems (DCS) are interconnected on a ring architecture, where they provide terminal multiplexing, add/drop multiplexing, or digital cross-connect capabilities. Depending on the bandwidth requirements of a serving area, the DCS can dynamically control the traffic within the network. The authors also describe a method to control and supervise switch and cross-connect systems from one common location. The applications of the proposed approach include metropolitan area networks (MANs) carrying high-speed data and other broadband ISDN (integrated services digital network) services. Finally, practical network solutions for the implementation of various LAN (local area network)/MAN architectures are described