ATM cell broadcasting system

• US 5,553,068 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Aso, Yasuhiro, Takahashi, Atsuhisa, Uchida, Yoshihiro, Kakuma, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US08/479,865
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 370/54, 370/58.1, 370/60, 370/77, 370/112, 370/94.1, 370/62, 370/84, 370/110.1
• US Class Current: 370/399
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/106 using space switching, e.g. crossbar or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1576 Crossbar or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/203 ATM switching fabrics with multicast or broadcast capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/255 Control mechanisms for ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/309 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags

Abstract

An ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) cell broadcasting system for use in ATM switches comprises switch matrices for exchanging ATM cells inputted from a plurality of input highways and outputting them to a plurality of output highways. The ATM cell broadcasting system further includes tag information adders, provided at respective input terminals of the switch matrices, for adding tag information according to respective identifiers assigned to the ATM cells. Alternatively, ATM-cell-switching identifier determinant memories may be provided for respective switch elements in the switch matrices, for storing determinant data enabling the switch elements to determine, from the identifiers of the ATM cells, which ones of the ATM cells are to switch and output to their respective output highways.

Claims

1. An asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system comprising:

a switch module including a plurality of switches for exchanging asynchronous transfer mode cells inputted from an input line connected to N switches of said plurality of switches; and

a tag information adder, provided in the input line, for adding tag information including N bits, each bit being respectively allocated to a corresponding one of said N switches, said tag information indicating whether each of said N switches outputs a cell from the input line according to a respective identifier assigned to an asynchronous transfer mode cell so that said asynchronous transfer mode cells are outputted to a plurality of output lines connected to the switches designated by the tag information.

2. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said tag information is added to a head portion of said asynchronous transfer mode cells for sequentially storing, after said tag information, virtual path numbers, virtual channel numbers, maintenance information, and user data.

3. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a bit length of said tag information corresponds to a number of switches connected to the input line provided with said tag information adder;

respective bits in said bit length indicate whether or not said switches in correspondence switch said asynchronous transfer mode cells inputted from said input line; and

said switches indicated by said bits in correspondence output said asynchronous transfer mode cells to the output lines.

4. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said identifiers assigned to said asynchronous transfer mode cells are the respective virtual path numbers and/or virtual channel numbers of said asynchronous transfer mode cells.

5. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

said tag information adder includes converters which add said tag information according to said virtual path numbers and/or virtual channel numbers.

6. An asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system comprising:

a switch module including a plurality of switches for exchanging asynchronous transfer mode cells inputted from an input line; and

asynchronous transfer mode-cell-switching identifier determinant memorizing means, each provided for a respective switch in said switch module, said memorizing means storing, according to respective identifiers assigned to said asynchronous transfer mode cells, determinant data information for indicating which ones of said asynchronous transfer mode cells are to be switched and which ones of said switches are to be turned ON so that the asynchronous transfer mode cells which are switched based on said determinant data information are outputted to a plurality of output lines connected to the switches which are turned ON according to said determinant data information so as to enable said asynchronous transfer cells to be broadcast to a plurality of destinations.

7. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

said identifiers assigned to said asynchronous transfer mode cells are the respective virtual path numbers and/or virtual channel numbers of said asynchronous transfer mode cells.

8. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

said asynchronous transfer mode-cell-switching identifier determinant memorizing means stores, at the addresses corresponding to said virtual path numbers and/or virtual channel numbers, said determinant data information.

9. The asynchronous transfer mode cell broadcasting system as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

respective switches in said switch module refer to said asynchronous transfer mode-cell-switching identifier determinant memorizing means for storing said determinant data information at said addresses corresponding to said virtual asynchronous transfer mode cells inputted from said input line connected to said switches; and

said switches output said asynchronous transfer mode cells to the output lines, when said switches determine, from said identifiers and said determinant data information, to switch said asynchronous transfer mode cells.

10. A switching information adding apparatus for a switching system accommodating a plurality of input lines and a plurality of output lines, said plurality of input lines being connected to said plurality of output lines through gates, said switching information adding apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a fixed-length packet including destination information transmitted over at least one of said plurality of input lines;

a storage for storing switching information indicating whether or not a fixed-length packet is made to go through each of the gates connected to said at least one of said input lines corresponding to the destination information of the fixed-length packet;

an information adder for adding switching information obtained from said storage based on the destination information of the fixed-length packet to the fixed-length packet; and

an output unit for outputting the fixed-length packet having the switching information to the switching system.

11. A switch for accommodating an input line and a plurality of output lines, said input line being connected to said plurality of output lines through respective gates, for outputting a fixed-length packet having switching information transmitted from said input line to said plurality of output lines on the basis of the switching information, said switch comprising:

an information analyzer, provided for each of the gates, for obtaining information which is allocated to a specific gate from the switching information included in the fixed-length packet and for determining whether or not corresponding information indicates that the fixed length packet is to go through the specific gate; and

a controller, provided for each of the gates for having said fixed-length packet go through the specific gate when the information analyzer indicates that said fixed-length packet is to go through the specific gate.

12. A fixed-length packet broadcasting system comprising:

a switch module including a plurality of switches for exchanging fixed-length packets inputted from an input line connected to N switches of said plurality of switches; and

a tag information adder, provided in the input line, for adding tag information including N bits, each bit being respectively allocated to a corresponding one of said N switches, said tag information indicating whether each of said N switches outputs a packet from the input line according to a respective identifier assigned to a fixed-length packet so that said fixed-length packets are outputted to a plurality of output lines connected to the switches of said switch module, designated by the tag information.

13. A fixed-length packet broadcasting system comprising:

a switch module including a plurality of switches for exchanging fixed-length packets inputted from an input line; and

switching identifier determinant memorizing means, provided in said switch module, said memorizing means storing, according to respective identifiers assigned to said fixed-length packets, determinant data information for indicating which one of said fixed-length packets are to be switched and which ones of said switches are to be turned ON so that the fixed-length packets which are switched based on said determinant data information are outputted to a plurality of output lines connected to the switches of said switch module, which are turned ON according to said determinant data information so as to enable said fixed-length packets to be broadcast to a plurality of destinations.