Summary

This chapter presented a first exposure to the multiservice switching architectural framework. The modular approach, with separation among the control, switching, adaptation, and management planes, carries a number of associated benefits from both end-user and designer/vendor viewpoints. This includes economic benefits that stem from the support of a full range of network services and technologies over a single, common infrastructure.

This architecture promotes high-availability networks, with distributed topology and connection information in the controllers.

As a consequence of the multiservice switch decomposition, different control planes acting independently provide "ships in the night" functionality. In this model, multiple protocol controllers utilize a share of a switch's resources, but each controller is oblivious to the fact that others are in operation. Protocol controllers, such as MPLS or PNNI controllers, act as the brains to manage the brawn that is the controlled switch's resources. Resource and partition resource management are the key to true multiservice capabilities.

The next chapter concentrates on analyzing the Virtual Switch Interface and Cisco Systems, Inc.'s implementation of multiservice switches.