Abstract: An architecture for a low-end, high-performance switch subsystem allows the connection of a multitude of requests per link. The switch subsystem operates a cross-bar switch under the control of a controller, such as a personal computer, to connect selected ones of a plurality of input links to selected ones of a plurality of output links. A data structure for the switch subsystem is mapped to the memory of the controller. The switch subsystem comprises three switch servers, a request server, a connect server, and an acknowledge server, which perform in a pipelined fashion. An interface protocol for the switching subsystem may be adapted to various applications and allows a connect request to be either queued in the switch subsystem until the requested output link in available or the requestor is notified immediately if the requested output link is not available, so that alternate actions can be taken.