A geographically distributed ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)switching architecture is described that exploits new possibilitiesoffered by lightwave technology. Small modules that provide both anaccess and an ATM switching function are distributed over some extendedgeographical area and connected to a passive optical medium. Each moduleis equipped with some small number of electrooptic transmitters andreceivers that provide access to the medium. Simulation results showthat, as the nonuniformity becomes larger, it becomes unnecessary tospeed up the optical channels or increase the fan-in/fan-out, and thatthe reconfiguration technique allows the traffic handling capability ofa distributed switch to match that of a centralized switch
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