Abstract: A data network in which at least one switch is provided with the facility for estimating current network demands using a polygonal approximation to scaled cumulant generating function. The approximation is iteratively refined in accordance with sampled data passing through the switch. The switch estimates the demand associated with a new data processing request as it is received by the switch and decides whether to accept the request based on available resources.

Abstract: A data network in which at least one switch is provided with the facility for estimating current network demands using a polygonal approximation to scaled cumulant generating function. The approximaton is iteratively refined in accordance with sampled data passing through the switch. The switch estimates the demand associated with a new data processing request as it is received by the switch and decides whether to accept the request based on available resources.

Abstract: A data network in which at least one switch is provided with the facility for estimating current network demands using a polygonal approximation to scaled cumulant generating function. The approximation is iteratively refined in accordance with sampled data passing through the switch. The switch estimates the demand associated with a new data processing request as it is received by the switch and decides whether to accept the request based on available resources.

Abstract: A switch (10) for controlling the switching of communication paths in communication equipment, such as telephone networks, is connected to a plurality of controllers (11, 12, 13) via a divider unit (14). The divider unit (14) divides some or all of the resources of the switch (10) into a plurality of switch resource sets, and those switch resource sets are then associated with respective ones of the controllers (11, 12, 13). This has the effect of enabling each switch resource set to act as an independent sub-switch, with each controller (11, 12, 13) then controlling a corresponding sub-switch. This division of the resources of the switch (10) allows different control architectures to be operated simultaneously. This permits different virtual networks to be constituted on the same physical network. Any one of the controllers (11, 12, 13) has access only to the switch resource set or sets allocated to that controller (11, 12, 13).