A model for evaluation of switch architectures

Modeling tools are widely used in the design of communication switching fabrics, but are seldom used in the evaluation of these systems at a high level. A model called SAM (switching architecture model), which provides both architectural comparisons and traffic engineering at this level, is reported. The primary features of SAM are: it models multifabric switches that are capable of handling multiple services simultaneously; the traffic engineering calculations in SAM use a direct approach starting with the grade-of-service, requirements to obtain the capacity of the switch, rather than the traditional iterative approach; and SAM uses heuristic equations to model switch attributes, such as size and power dissipation in a consistent manner. The modeling techniques used in the SAM are described, and their validation is discussed