A 160 GB/s ATM switch using internal speed-up crossbar switch architecture

As an architecture for a large-scale tera bit/s class ATM switch system, a building-block structure combining multiple small-scale switches (AHM: ATM circuit handling module) and interconnection switches (AMC: ATM intermodule connector) is proposed in this paper. In this proposed structure, mesh-like VP connections are made between AHMs by AMCs. Resource management is not done inside the AMC, but is simply executed inside AHMs which interconnect the AMCs. Resources are managed by the total capacity of connectivity (GVP: grouped virtual path) between the AHM and the input/output side AHM. It is shown theoretically that, with this proposed structure, it is possible to increase effectively the switching capacity in proportion to the number of AHMs connected. A new switch architecture with 160 Gb/s switch throughput is also proposed for application to the large-scale ATM switch system proposed in this paper. The proposed switch is an internal speed-up crossbar ATM switch which is suitable for switching high-speed cells. In order to avoid loss of QoS (Quality Of Service) of cells switched by AMC, it accommodates cells which are accelerated up to 10 Gb/s at the output port of the input side AHM. A new high-speed arbitration control algorithm which is distributed to each output line is adopted in this structure. The proposed control algorithm, in which a logical ring is composed of three buses, has a capability twice that of a conventional ring arbiter can realize very high switching throughput above 160 Gb/s. It is shown that a prototype ATM switch has been developed successfully using a combination of new technologies such as a new switch architecture, high-speed Si-bipolar LSI, and a sophisticated multi-chip module technology, and its functions and performance were satisfactorily confirmed.