Abstract: In one embodiment, a software-based cross-connect routes packets in an asynchronous Ethernet packet network to emulate circuit-based switching in a conventional circuit-oriented synchronous TDM network. The cross-connect has Ethernet interfaces for receiving and storing incoming Ethernet packets transmitted over the packet network from various source nodes. A cross-connect processor manipulates the stored Ethernet packets based on a stored connection table that defines emulated circuit-based connections in order to generate and store outgoing Ethernet packets in appropriate interfaces that then transmit the outgoing Ethernet packets via the packet network towards their defined destination nodes.