Chi Chi Lin

US Patent:

54596068, Oct 17, 1995

Filed:

May 10, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/058185

Inventors:

Lawrence Baranyai - Howell NJ
Francis H. Butler - Howell NJ
John C. Cox - Oakhurst NJ
Chi H. Lin - Holmdel NJ
Nattu V. Srinivasan - Eatontown NJ

Assignee:

AT&T IPM Corp. - Coral Gables FL

International Classification:

H04J 1400

US Classification:

359117

Abstract:

An upgrade arrangement wherein the switching functions of an in-service switch or cross-connect system are transferred or "re-homed" onto a new, larger capacity switch via the existing input and output ports of the original system. The re-homing can be performed without loss of service, even if the original system is operating at full-capacity. By exploiting the protection redundancy engineered into existing telecommunication switching systems, all of the signals being routed through the original switch are temporarily consolidated onto only one-half of the switching fabric normally required to accommodate such connectivity. This signal consolidation allows half of the original switch ports to be brought off-line (without a service disruption), and linked to the new, higher capacity switching fabric. The signals that had been consolidated within the original switching fabric are then re-routed onto the new switching fabric (via the linked ports), and the other half of the original switch ports are brought off-line and linked to the new switching fabric. The re-routed signals (still being switched in a consolidated format within the new switching fabric) are then redistributed (unconsolidated) among the linked ports and the new switching fabric so that a normal switching pattern is reestablished.