SWITCHING SYSTEMS

Classification of Switching Systems

Switching System

Manual Automatic

Electromechanical Electronic
BASIC FUNCTIONS OF A SWITCH
• Identity

• Addressing

• Finding and path setup

• Busy testing

• Supervision

• Clear down

• Billing
Simple Signal exchange Diagram
• Electromechanical Switches
• Strowger Step-by-Step
• Cross bar

• Electronic Switches
• Space Division Switching
• Time Division Switching
• Analog switching
• Digital Switching
• Space Switch
• Time Switch
• Combination Switch
Manual Control
• Early telephone switch boards were operated
manually using a jack for each line and two
plugs on a long flexible wire called a cord pair
for making the connection
• The cord pairs appeared in rows on a shelf in
front of the operator, and the jacks were
mounted on a vertical panel. To make a
connection, the operator picked up a cord,
plugged it into the jack corresponding to the
line requesting service, obtained from the
calling party the name or number of the
desired party, and then plugged the other end
of the cord pair into the correct outgoing line
jack
• Not every subscriber however appreciated the personal
touch.
Limitation of Manual Exchanges
• Language Dependent

• Lack of Privacy

• Switching Delay

• Limited Service
Progressive Control
• The Strowger, or step-by-step switch connects a pair of
telephone wires by progressive step-by-step operation of
several series switch operating in tandem
• Each operation is under the direct control of the dialed
pulse produced by the calling telephone.
Uniselectors
Two motion selectors
 Significant limitations of the Strowger Switches
• Because several switches are operated in tandem and the
switches are shared among many incoming lines it is
possible for a call to be blocked partway through the dialing
sequence even though the called line may be free.
• The switch requires the successful sequential operation of
several relays, and a sizable voltage and current is
switched each time a switch is stepped. Consequently, the
mechanical reliability of the switches is low, they require
high amount of maintenance by skilled people, and they
generate large amounts of electrical and mechanical noise.
• Since the switching network is hard-wired, it is difficult to
make changes in the switching arrangement
Common Control Systems
• In common control switching systems, the switching and
the control operations are separated

• This permits a particular group of common control circuits

to route connections through the switching network for
many calls at the same time on a shared basis

• Common control networks enables the exchange to

perform event monitoring, call processing, charging ,
operation and maintenance
Common Control Systems
• Primarily due to the inflexibility and large maintenance
costs associated with Strowger-type switching networks,,
a new type of switching matrix called the crossbar was
implemented and uses common control systems
 DOUBLE-SWING HORIZONTAL SWITCH BARS

Double-Swing
X-bars

Vertical Hold X-bars

• The common control can be assigned to an incoming call
as required. It takes in the dialed digits, and then sets up
the path through the switching matrix according to hard-
wired or stored-program rules
• The common control element may be a relay-operated
device called a marker or stored-program controlled digital
computer
• Crossbar as the name implies depends on the crossing or
intersection of two points to make a connection
• Its operation depends on energizing a vertical line and a
horizontal line and the point where they intersect
represents the connection made
Cross Point Arrays
• The crossbar is a non-blocking switching configurations.

• It requires N2 switching elements for N subscribers

• Thus for 100 subscribers, 10000 crosspoint switches are

required

• It is therefore economic only for small exchanges

requiring small switches
 Single Stage and Multiple Stage Switching
• In the switching structure, an inlet is directly connected to
an outlet through a single cross point. For this reason these
switching structures are called “single stage” switches
• Single stage switches have the property that each
individual cross point can only be used to interconnect one
particular inlet/outlet pair. Since the number of inlet/outlet
for a square array is N (N – 1), the number of cross points
required for a large switch is prohibitive
• A fundamental deficiency of single stage switches is that
one specific cross point is needed for each specific
connection. If that cross point fails the associated
connection cannot be established.
• To increase the utilization efficiency of cross points and
thereby reduce the total number, it is necessary that any
particular cross point be usable for more than one
potential connection
• The sharing of cross points for potential paths through the
switch is accomplished by multistage switching
Features of Single Stage and Multi Stage Networks

Single Stage Multi Stage

Inlet to outlet connection is through a Inlet to outlet connection is through
single cross point multiple crosspoints
Use of a single crosspoint results in Use of multiple crosspoints may
better quality link degrade the quality of a connection
Each individual crosspoint can be used Same crosspoint can be used to
for only one inlet/outlet pair connection establish connection between a
number of inlet/outlet pairs
There is no redundancy Alternative crosspoints and paths are
available
Crosspoints are inefficiently used Crosspoints are used efficiently
Number of crosspoints is high Number of crosspoints is reduced
significantly
The network is non-blocking The network is blocking
Time for establishing a call is less Time for establishing a call is more
Multi Stage Switch fabrics(matrices)
Example: 4x4 = 16 cross-points
Consider a switch with 100 X 100
Interconnect function 1

Full Matrix Switch

2

1 1 3

100 100 1 2 3 4

Need 10 000 cross-points

 Folded Matrix Switch

1
Need 4950
cross-points
100

n(n  1) 100  99
  4950
2 2
1 100

If bi-directional transmission, then

connection from A to B is equivalent
to a connection from B to A ( and
connection from A to A is meaningless)
A third method of achieving a 100 x 100
interconnect function is by splitting the switch into
two stages using smaller square matrices as
building blocks.

Then to form a connection, two xpts are operated, one in each

stage, but:
(i) fewer xpts needed in total
(ii) we may have introduced some blocking probability
Example: 100 x 100 in 2 stages
1 1 1 1

10 x 10 10 x 10
How many xpts?
10 10 10 10

(10) (10)
Each block is 10 x 10 = 100 xpts.

1 1 1 1
Whole switch has 2 stages =
10 x 10 10 x 10
2000 xpts.
10 10 10 10
 1 1 1 1

10 x 10 10 x 10

10 10 10 10

100 Inlets (10) (10) 100 Outlets

1 1 1 1

10 x 10 10 x 10

10 10 10 10
How does it work?

• Divide the 100 inlets into groups of 10.

• 1st outlet of each Stage 1 block is connected to an inlet of the 1st
Stage 2 block.

• 2nd outlet of each Stage 1 block is connected to an inlet of the 2nd

Stage 2 block.

• 3rd outlet of each Stage 1 block is connected to an inlet of the 3rd

Stage 2 block…

• ith outlet of each Stage 1 block is connected to an inlet of the ith

Stage 2 block.
 Using this example, we can see
every path through the switch to
connect any inlet in the 1st stage to
4x4 4x4 any outlet in the 2nd stage.
Again, notice the connection pattern:
The jth outlet of the kth Stage 1 block
4x4 4x4
is connected to the kth inlet of the jth
Stage 2 block.

4x4 4x4
Using any size of n x n blocks, you
can make an n2 x n2 2-stage switch.
We can also add a 3rd stage to the
4x4 4x4 switch to get an n3 x n3 3-stage
switch…
How?
3x3 3x3 3x3 Treat the original n2 x n2 2-stage switch
3x3 3x3 3x3
as it’s own block, attach it to n2 new
blocks of n x n and use the same
3x3 3x3 3x3 connection pattern:
The jth outlet of the kth Stage 1 block is
3x3 3x3 3x3
connected to the kth inlet of the jth
Stage 2 block.
3x3 3x3 3x3
Then copy the original n2 x n2 2-stage
3x3 3x3 3x3 switch n times and repeat.

3x3 3x3 3x3

How many xpts?
3x3 3x3 3x3 27 x 27 3-stage switch: 243
3x3 3x3 3x3
27 x 27 1-stage full matrix: 729
10 x 10 10 x 10 10 x 10
How many xpts?
1000 x 1000 3-stage switch: 30 000
(10) (10) (10) 1000 x 1000 1-stage full matrix: 1 million

10 x 10 10 x 10 10 x 10

Connection pattern used is called

distribution, and in general:
(10)
Stage n - Module k - Outlet j
connects to…
Stage n+1 - Module j - Inlet k
10 x 10 10 x 10 10 x 10

j
(10) (10) (10) k

10 x 10 10 x 10 10 x 10
k j
How many xpts?
1000 x 1000 3-stage switch: 30 000
1000 x 1000 1-stage full matrix: 1 million

Connection pattern used is called

distribution, and in general:
Stage n - Module k - Outlet j connects to…
Stage n+1 - Module j - Inlet k

j
k

k j

Example:
Stage 2 - Module 1 - Outlet 91 connects
to…
Stage 3 - Module 91 - Inlet 1
Link Blocking
• Because of the single link between each module and the
modules in the next stage, there’s a possibility of blocking.
• Consider an inlet in the 1st block of stage 1 connected to an outlet
in the 3rd block of stage 2.
• Now what happens if we want to connect another inlet in the 1st
block of stage 1 to another outlet of the 3rd block of stage 2?

4x4 4x4 A problem arises because there is

only a single route available through
a switch with only distribution-type of
4x4 4x4 stages.

 Even though the entire switch is

4x4 4x4 made up of non-blocking square
matrices, we can still encounter
blocking.
4x4 4x4
Mixing Stages
• We’ve seen that we can add distribution stages to
increase the switch size nk x nk (where n is the size of
each square matrix block, and k is the number of
distribution stages), but…
• We need a way of reducing blocking.
• The solution is to add a mixing stage (also called
collection stage) that keeps the overall switch size the
same (in terms of nk inlets and outlets), but can reduce
blocking by adding multiple paths through the switch.
nxn nxn nxn

(n) (n) (n)

nxn nxn nxn

Adding a mixing stage to
a 2-stage switch:

3x3 3x3 3x3

3x3 3x3 3x3

3x3 3x3 3x3

Connection pattern is the same as for distribution:

Stage n - Module k - Outlet j connects to…
Stage n+1 - Module j - Inlet k

The difference is that we don’t replicate

the 2-stage switch n times.
• By how much does a mixing stage reduce blocking?
• Adding a mixing stage will provide n alternate paths through the
switch.

Example (n = 3):

3x3 3x3 3x3

3x3 3x3 3x3

3x3 3x3 3x3

A MULTISTAGE SWITCHING ARRANGEMENT
• Large switch built from multiple stages of small switches
• The n inputs to a first-stage switch share k paths through
intermediate crossbar switches
• Larger k (more intermediate switches) means more paths to
output
• In 1950s, Clos asked, “How many intermediate switches required
to make switch nonblocking?”
2(N/n)nk + k (N/n)2 crosspoints
nk N/n  N/n kn
1 1
1
nk kn
2 2 N
N N/n  N/n
2 kn outputs
inputs nk
3 3

…
…
…

nk kn
N/n N/n
N/n  N/n
k
• The inlet arrays (first stage) are n x k arrays where each
one of the k outputs is connected to one of the k center
stage arrays
• The inter stage connection are often called junctors
• The third stage consists of k x n rectangular arrays that
provide connections from each center stage arrays to a
group of n outlets
• Multistage structures provide alternate paths through the
switch to circumvent failure
• The total number of cross points Nx required by a three
stage switch as shown in the fig above is
Non- blocking multi-stage switching
According to Clos, a three-stage switching network can
provide a strictly non-blocking operation if each individual
array is non-blocking and if the number of centre stages K
is equal to 2n-1, the switch is strictly non-blocking.

(2)
Putting (2) in (1)
(3)
Differentiating w.r.t n and setting the resulting
expression equal to zero to determine the minimum ( for
large N) the optimum value of n is .
Hence
Example
A three stage switching structure is to accommodate N=128
input and 128 output terminals. For 16 first stage and 16
last stage, determine the number of crosspoints for non-
blocking.
Solution
Number of matrices first and last stage is given by

To avoid blocking ,
Number of crosspoints
]=7680

Compare for blocking

Non-blocking properties of Switches
Switches can be classified according to their non-blocking
properties.
There are basically three types of non-blocking properties
• Strictly non-blocking
• Re-arrangeably non-blocking
• Wide-sense non-blocking

Strictly non-blocking
A switch is strictly non-blocking if a connection can always
be set up between any idle (or free) input and output
without the need to rearrange the paths of the existing
connections.
• Re-arrangeably non-blocking
A switch is re-arrangeably non-blocking if a connection
can always be set up between any idle input and output,
although it may be necessary to rearrange the existing
connections.

• Wide-sense non-blocking
A switch is wide-sense non-blocking if a route selection
policy exists for setting connections in such a way that a
new connection can always be set up between any idle
input and output without the need to rearrange the paths
of the existing connections.
Stored Program Control (SPC) Switches
• The SPC is a computer control system that uses a stored
program digital computer for its control functions
• The SPC concepts permits the use of features like
abbreviated dialing, call forwarding, call waiting, etc
• The SPC enables easier number changes, automated call
tracing, message unit accounting(for billing)
• In SPC a program or a set of instructions are stored in its
memory and executed automatically one by one by the
processor
• A computer can be programmed to test the conditions of
the inputs and the last states and decide on new outputs
and states
• The basic function of a SPC system is to control line
organisations and terminations and to provide trunk
routing to other exchanges or tandem switches
• It also provides control to special features and functions of
a central office
Basic Control Structure of SPC System
• The SPC uses processors designed to meet the various
requirements of the exchange
• More than one processor is used for reliability and are
usually duplicated
• It uses distributed software and hardware architectures
• There are two types;
• Centralised SPC exchanges
• Distributed SPC exchanges
Centralised SPC
• Early Electronic Switching systems are centralised SPC
exchanges and used a single processor to perform the
exchange functions
• Presently centralised uses dual processor for high
reliability
• A dual processor architecture can be configured to
operate in the following modes;
• Standby mode
• Synchrounous duplex mode
• Load Sharing mode
Centralised SPC
Availability- Single Processor
Availability- Dual Processor
• A dual processor is said to have failed only when both
processors fails and the total system is not available
Distributed SPC
• It provided wider range of services
• It offered better availability and reliability than the
centralised SPC
• Exchange control functions may be decomposed either
vertically or horizontally for distributed processing.
Digital Switches
• A switching system is called digital when the input to and
out from the switching system network can directly
support digital signals
• A digital signal can be defined as coded pulses that can
be used for signaling and control
• However analog signals can still be processed through
the digital switching system via analog-to-digital(A/D)
convertors.
• The evolution to digital switching from analog is shown
Digital Switch Evolution
TIME DIVISION SWITCHING
• Time Division Switching involves the sharing of
crosspoints for shorter periods of time
• This pave way for the reassignment of crosspoints for
other needed connections
• Greater savings in crosspoints can be achieved
• A switching element can be assigned to many inlet-outlet
pairs for a few microseconds
• This is the principle of time division switching
 Circuit Switch Types

• Space-Division switches
• Provide separate physical connection between inputs and
outputs
• Crossbar switches
• Multistage switches
• Time-Division switches
• Time-slot interchange technique
• Time-space-time switches
• Hybrids combine Time & Space switching
 Time-Slot Interchange (TSI) Switching
• Write bytes from arriving TDM stream into memory
• Read bytes in permuted order into outgoing TDM stream
• Max # slots = 125 msec / (2 x memory cycle time)

1 a
Read slots
2 b
according to
3 connection
d c … b a  permutation b a … d c
24 23 2 1 24 23 2 1
Write
22
slots in
order of 23 c
Incoming Outgoing
arrival
TDM 24 d TDM
stream stream

Time-slot interchange
Digital Switching
• Time Slot Interchanger (TSI).
• A TSI is a time switch.
• Switches one time slot channel in a single physical input to
another time slot channel on a single physical output.
• Functionally equivalent to an n x n space-divided switch where
n is the number of time slots per frame.
D C B A D C B A D C B A
TSI C A D B C A D B C A D B
4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

• Time multiplexed space switch (TMSS)

– A space switch (multiple physical inputs and outputs) that is
potentially reconfigured entirely in every time slot of each frame.
– Data is switched such that for each time slot, specific inlets are
connected (switched) to specific outlets.
– Data does not switch timeslots.
Time Slot Interchanger
• In a TSI, one time slot is switched to another.
• Performed through use of two memory stores:
• Speech store is RAM with capacity to store one full frame of data.
• For DS1 (1.544 Mbps) with 24 channels of 8 bits, the speech store is 24
bytes long.
• For E1 (2.048 Mbps) with 32 channels of 8 bits, the speech store is 32
bytes long.
• Speech address memory (SAM) or Time Switch Connection
Store is RAM with capacity to store a “word” for each time slot,
each word being a number identifying a specific time slot.
• For DS1, the SAM has capacity to store 24 words of 5 bits per word
(need 5 bits to store a number between 1 and 24) for a total of 24x5 bits.
• For E1, the SAM has capacity to store 32 words of 5 bits per word (need
5 bits to store a number between 1 and 32) for a total of 32x5 bits.
Time Slot Interchanger (2)
• How does a TSI system work?
• Data is written to the speech store cyclically as it comes in (i.e.
sequentially, one time slot at a time).
• Path set-up control signalling tells the SAM to store the name of
the input time slot in the appropriate location corresponding to the
output time slot it must be switched to.
• For example, if input time slot 7 is to be switched to output time slot 15,
then location 15 of the SAM will store the number “7”.
• Data is read a-cyclically from the speech store in the order of the
output time slots as stored in the SAM.
• Note that this means there could be a delay of up to
nearly a full frame.
Time Slot Interchanger (3)
Speech Store:
Data In (cyclic frame timeslot order) 1
2 Stores the data of
3
4 time slot x in
location x.
Timing Data Out
Speech Store
RAM = 24 x 8 bits
(contents of timeslots
rearranged)

23
Write
24
Address
Counter
Read
Timing
Address
1 Counter
2
3
4
Control SAM Data In SAM:
Signalling
SAM Stores the name of
RAM = 24 x 5 bits
the input time slot
Space switch equivalent: 23 being switched to
1 1 24
24 x 24 output time slot y.
full matrix
24 24
i.e. “In output time
slot y, which speech
store location do I
read?”
Time Division Switching
Operation of a TSI
Time Multiplexed Space Switch
• A TMSS is a space switch (with multiple physical inputs and
outputs) that is potentially reconfigured entirely in every time slot of
each frame.
• For instance, say we have 3 time slots on each of 4 physical inlets
and 4 physical outlets (also called I/P highways and O/P highways):
TS3
TS2
TS1
Space switch equivalent:
Three 4 x 4 full matrices
TMSS (one for each time slot)

TS2

TS3
Time Multiplexed Space Switch (2)
• How does a TMSS system work?
• A memory structure called cross-point address memory (XAM) is
used to control switching.
• XAM is a RAM with capacity to store a “word” for each time slot, each
word being a number identifying a specific physical input to connect to
during each time slot.
• Control signalling tells the XAM to store the name of the physical
input in the appropriate time slot location.
• For example, if input 6 must be connected to output 9 during time slot 7,
the the XAM for output 9 will store the number “6” in location 7.
• The space switch is rapidly reconfigured at each time slot to affect
the proper connections.
• Note that data is switched across physical inputs/outputs,
but not across time slots.
Time Multiplexed Space Switch (3)
• Column Oriented Control – “Who do I get it from?”
I/P 1
1
2
Each XAM
3
4
stores the
I/P 2 name of the I/P
XAM to which its
RAM = 24 x 5 bits
O/P is
I/P 3
23
connected to in
24 each time slot.
I/P 4
Example:
XAM XAM XAM XAM
To switch I/P 2 to O/P 4 in
#1 #2 #3 #4 time slot 18, then XAM #4
stores the value “2” in
location 18.
O/P 1 O/P 2 O/P 3 O/P 4
Time Multiplexed Space Switch (4)
• Row Oriented Control – “Who do I give it to?”
I/P 1

XAM #1
1
2
Each XAM
3
4
stores the
name of the
I/P 2
XAM O/P to which
XAM #2 RAM = 24 x 5 bits
its I/P is
23
connected to in
I/P 3
24 each time slot.
XAM #3
Example:
I/P 4 To switch I/P 2 to O/P 4 in
time slot 18, then XAM #2
XAM #4
stores the value “4” in
location 18.
O/P 1 O/P 2 O/P 3 O/P 4
Combination Switching
• Combination of time and space switches leads to
configurations that achieve both time slot interchange and
space switching across trunks
• These structures permit a large number of simultaneous
connections to be supported for a given technology
• Space switching and time switching can be accomplished
in many ways
• Two-stage switches can be Time-Space(TS) or Space-
Time(ST)
• Three stage configurations of TST or STS are more
popular and flexible
• Very large switches includes many configurations of time
and space switches
• Typical configurations are;
• TSST
• TSSSST
• TSTSTSTS
TST Switch Configuration
Examples of Time Space Combination Switches
System Configuration Traffic Maximum No of
Capacity(Erlangs) Trunks

E10 B TST 1600 3600

No. 4ESS TSSSST 47,000 107,520

C-DOT MAX XL TST 16,000 40,000

DMS 100 TSTS 39,000 61,000

System 12 TSTSTSTSTSTSTS 25,000 60,000

NEAX 61 TSST 22,000 60,000

Time-Space-Time Switching
Space Switch:
Physical inputs are
connected to physical
outputs but data does
not cross time slots.
Time Switch:
Data is switched
D C B A D C B A TSI C A D B C A D B between time slots but
remains on the same
physical connection.
Time-Space-Time Switch:

D C B A D C B A A A D B A A D B
Data is switched
D C B A D C B A TST B A C D B A C D
between time slots and
D C B A D C B A C D B C C D B C physical connections.
Time-Space-Time Switching (2)
• Time-Space-Time switching is when data is switched
across time slots and physical connections.
• Affected by a combination of TSI and TMSS.
DS1 DS1
I/P TSI O/P
#1 TSI #1

DS1 DS1
I/P TSI O/P
#2 TSI #2

DS1 DS1
I/P TSI TMSS O/P
#3 TSI #3

DS1 DS1
I/P TSI O/P
#4 TSI #4

DS1 DS1
I/P TSI O/P
#5 TSI #5
 Time-Space-Time Switching (3)
• What is the space division equivalent of a TST switch?

Each input Each output

highway is highway is a
a DS1 line. DS1 line.

One module
for each time
slot in TMSS.

24 x 24 5x5 24 x 24

One inlet for

One outlet for
each time slot.
5 24 5 each time slot.

One module One module

for each I/P. for each O/P.
24 x 24 5x5 24 x 24
Time-Space-Time Switching (4)
• How does a time-space-time switch work?
• First, we find a time slot that is free from the input TSI to the TMSS
and from the TMSS to the output TSI we wish to connect to.
• Next, switch the input channel’s time slot in question to the free
time slot.
• Then at the TMSS, connect the proper input line to the proper
output line during free time slot.
• Finally, at the output line’s TSI, switch the free time slot to the time
slot we wish to switch to.

Input TSI TMSS TSI Output

Switch to free TS Switch to desired O/P Switch to desired TS

Time-Space-Time Hybrid Switch
• Use TSI in first & third stage; Use crossbar in middle

 Replace n input x k output space switch by TSI switch that takes n-slot
input frame and switches it to k-slot output frame

nxk N/n x N/n kxn

1 1
1

nxk
N 2
Input TDM Output TDM
inputs
nxk frame with frame with k
n slots 1
3 slots
2


…

n … 2 1 k … 2 1

nxk n
N/n

Time-slot interchange
Flow of time slots between switches
First slot First slot
nk N/n  N/n kn
1 1 1

nk kn
2 2
N/n  N/n
2

…
…
…

nk kn
N/n
N/n N/n  N/n
kth slot k kth slot

• Only one space switch active in each time slot

Time-Share the Crossbar Switch
TSI stage Space stage TSI stage

TDM nxk TDM TDM kxn

n slots 1 k slots k slots 1

n slots nxk kxn

N 2 N/n x N/n 2 N
inputs Time-shared outputs
n slots nxk space switch kxn
3 3
…

…
n slots nxk kxn
N/n N/n

• Interconnection pattern of space switch is

reconfigured every time slot
• Very compact design: fewer lines because of TDM &
less space because of time-shared crossbar
Example: T-S-T Switch Design
For N = 960
• Single stage space switch ~ 1 million crosspoints
• T-S-T
• Let n = 120 N/n = 8 TSIs
• k = 2n – 1 = 239 for non-blocking
• Pick k = 240 time slots
• Need 8x8 time-multiplexed space switch

For N = 96,000
• T-S-T
• Let n = 120 k = 239
• N / n = 800
• Need 800x800 space switch