Modular High-Capacity Switch
First Claim
1. A method of selecting a path through a modular optical switch comprising:
- receiving a request, where said request identifies a requested number of time slots, an inlet port of a first switch module and an outlet port of a second switch module;
responsive to said receiving said request, comparing a state map associated with said inlet port to a state map associated with said outlet port to find a matching time slot that is vacant in both said inlet port and said outlet port;
if said comparing provides said matching time slot, wherein said state maps associated with said respective ports indicate vacancy in said particular time slot, recording said matching time slot in a result record; and
transmitting said result record to a controller of said modular optical switch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A modular optical switch includes a set of optical switch modules connected in a mesh, a master controller for the whole optical node and a switch-module controller for each of the optical switch modules. The optical switch modules receive optical signals from, and transmit optical signals to, edge nodes based on connection requests received from the edge nodes. The master controller acts to select a path, using a simple or compound time-slot matching process, through the mesh of switch modules for each optical signal related to a connection request. Advantageously, the optical switch modules are fast switching, enabling the use of time-sharing schemes such as TDM, and the modular optical core node is made practical by efficient path selection at the master controller. A hybrid modular switch may include both optical and electronic switch modules, a master controller, and a switch-module controller for each of the switch modules.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of selecting a path through a modular optical switch comprising:
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receiving a request, where said request identifies a requested number of time slots, an inlet port of a first switch module and an outlet port of a second switch module; responsive to said receiving said request, comparing a state map associated with said inlet port to a state map associated with said outlet port to find a matching time slot that is vacant in both said inlet port and said outlet port; if said comparing provides said matching time slot, wherein said state maps associated with said respective ports indicate vacancy in said particular time slot, recording said matching time slot in a result record; and transmitting said result record to a controller of said modular optical switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A path selection apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of matching units, where each of said plurality of matching units is adapted to; receive a connection request, where said connection request identifies a requested number of time slots, an inlet port of a first switch module and an outlet port of a second switch module; responsive to said receiving said time-slot-allocation request, compare a state map, specific to a particular time slot, associated with said inlet port to a state map, specific to said particular time slot, associated with said outlet port to find a matching time slot that is vacant in both said inlet port and said outlet port; if said comparing provides said matching time slot, wherein said state maps associated with said respective ports indicate vacancy in said particular time slot, record said matching time slot in a result record; a plurality of result buffers, each of said a plurality of result buffers adapted to receive a result record from an associated one of said plurality of matching units; and a cyclic selector adapted to select a single result record at a time from each of said plurality of result buffers under control of said cyclic selector. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A data structure for simple and compound time-slot matching over a number of time slots to be considered, said data structure for use in a switch module in a modular switch comprising a plurality of switch modules having inlet ports and outlet ports, said data structure comprising:
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a first matrix having; a number of rows equal to a first product of a maximum number of said inlet ports and a maximum number of switch modules; and a number of columns equal to said number of time slots; a second matrix having; a number of rows equal to a second product of a maximum number of said outlet ports and a maximum number of switch modules; and a number of columns equal to said number of time slots; a third matrix having; a number of rows equal to a third product of said maximum number of said inlet ports and a maximum number of time slots to be considered; and a number of columns equal to a maximum number of said outlet ports; a fourth matrix having; a number of rows equal to a fourth product of said maximum number of said outlet ports and a maximum number of time slots to be considered; and a number of columns equal to said maximum number of inlet ports. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification