DEVICE WITH ECONOMIC DISTRIBUTED ARCHITECTURE FOR SWITCHING ATM CELLS IN A LOCAL AREA NETWORK, WITH BREAKDOWN TOLERANCE OF BREWING AND MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

摘要

The set of means of the device is divided into two types of equipment modules, one first type, consisting of connecting modules (81...8N) and a second type consisting of branching and managing modules (91, 92) one operating in an "active" mode and the other in a "passive" mode. The accessing means (11...1N) are implanted in each connector (81...8N), the means for executing the ATM layer function are almost identically implanted in each connector (81...8N) and in each of the two branching and managing modules (91, 92). A supervision bus (10) connects the first and second types of module (81...8N, 91, 92) for ensuring quick and automatic reconfiguration of the device in case of failure of one of its components. The supervision bus (10) is of simple configuration and only serves to carry, under the control of managing means, signals indicative of the "master" and "slave" managing means as well as a signal indicative of the "active" branching module. The invention is applicable to ATM transmission networks.