Design and implementation of a distributed switching node for a multihop ATM network

Design and implementation issues for large distributed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switching systems are considered. The ATM switch fabric resides in small, geographically dispersed access stations interconnected by a shared, all-optical medium carrying many wavelength-multiplexed channels. The authors present the architecture of the distributed ATM fabric and describe the optical subsystem. They summarize the per-port throughput relative to the dimensionality of the distributed switching elements contained in the access station, and discuss design considerations relative to the dimensionality of the switching element. The detailed design of an access station, or network interface unit (NIU), and its associated subsystems, implemented as part of the ACORN/TeraNet project, are presented