ABSTRACT
The internal structure of a switching architecture determines how the connections are made between its input-output pairs. Depending on its internal structure, a switching architecture can be classified into the following categories: blocking or non-blocking, self-routing or central routinginput buffering, output buffering or central buffering, and buffer management: complete sharing, partial sharing, and complete partitioning. This chapter discusses buffering of packets which cannot be transferred to an output port during a current time slot can be done either at an input port or an output port. An ideal N×N switching architecture for asynchronous transfer mode networks can be modeled as a box with N input ports and N output ports, providing connections between its N input ports and N output ports. The chapter aims to survey the most widely used switching architectures in the industry. When designing an ATM system for a particular segment, the bandwidth requirement plays an important role in determining the switching architecture.
