Abstract: A high performance packet switching network that can be used to provide voice data and video communication on a large scale is disclosed. The packet switching network has a broadcast capability which makes it suitable for applications including commercial television distribution and conferencing.The basic switching capability of the network is provided by a switching module which is capable of producing a desired number of copies of a broadcast packet and routing the copied packets to desired destinations. A plurality of switching modules may be interconnected to form a packet switch. Interconnection circuitry is provided so that the number of interconnected switch modules may be varied with a minimum of recabling.

Abstract: A detection circuit for monitoring the operations of a packet switch node to detect the loss or erroneous creation of packets within the switch node. The switch nodes are interconnected to form a packet switching network, and switching networks are interconnected by trunk controllers to form a packet switching system. A communication path is set up through such a switching system by initially routing a call setup packet from an originating terminal to each central processor controlling a switching network in the route to a destination terminal. Each central processor is responsive to a receipt of the setup packet to store logical to physical address translation information in memories of its associated trunk controllers. The physical address defines a path through the switching network to an output trunk controller in the communication path to the destination terminal.

Abstract: A trunk controller and processor arrangement for measuring packet transmission delay from a first trunk controller through a packet switching network to a second trunk controller. Packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are received from high-speed trunks and are communicated through the network to destination trunk controllers which are also attached to high-speed trunks. During initial call setup of a particular call, the central processor associated with the network stores the necessary logical to physical address information in the two controllers associated with that call. The associated controllers then perform all logical to physical address translation on subsequent packets of the call.

Abstract: A packet switching architecture in which switching network nodes automatically determine alternate routes through a switching network so as to increase reliability and distribute traffic. The switching network comprises stages of distribution and routing nodes. The routing nodes are responsive to physical addresses associated with the packets to communicate those packets to address designated downstream nodes. The distribution switching nodes statistically communicate packets to downstream switching nodes on the basis of an alternate routing algorithm and availability of downstream nodes. The initial network stages are alternate distribution and routing stages followed by only routing stages for the remaining stages of the network. Both the routing and the distributing nodes are identical in design and are responsive to an input signal from the network to assume either routing or distributing functions.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on subsequent packets of the call. Each network comprises duplicated arrays with each array having stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. Each trunk controller alternately transmits packets to available ones of the duplicated arrays as the packets are received from the attached trunk.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high-speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. The nodes provide for variable packet buffering, packet address rotation techniques, and intranode and internode signaling protocols.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high-speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. The nodes provide for variable packet buffering, packet address rotation techniques, and intranode and internode signaling protocols.

Abstract: A trunk controller and processor arrangement for monitoring the error rate occurring in packets received from a high speed trunk. Within a packet switching system, packets comprising logical addresses, and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translation on subsequent packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate that packet to a designated subsequent node.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high-speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. The nodes provide for variable packet buffering, packet address rotation techniques, and intranode and internode signaling protocols.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising physical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high-speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. Customer terminals are connected to the switching system by access line controllers which insert the physical addresses into the packets. The line controllers attach to concentrators which are interconnected to the switching networks via high-speed digital trunks. During initial call setup of a particular call, the physical addresses are obtained and stored in the line controllers by the transmission of a cell setup packet and call reply packet between the originating and destination line controllers. Each processor inserts into the call setup packet the necessary addressing information to route packets through the associated network.

Abstract: A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high-speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. The nodes provide for variable packet buffering, packet address rotation techniques, and intranode and internode signaling protocols.

Abstract: A trunk controller and processor arrangement for monitoring packet traffic from a high speed trunk through a packet switching network. Within a packet switching system, packets comprising logical addresses and voice/data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks which are interconnected by high speed digital trunks with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers. During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on subsequent packets of the call. Each network comprises stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate that packet to a designated subsequent node.