SWITCHING AND INTELLIGENT NETWORKS

Chapter one
Switching Systems
Prepared by
Gammachu. N
 Introduction
Long distance transmission is typically done over a
telecommunication network of nodes. A
telecommunication network is a set of connected
devices. Telecommunication system can be
divided into four main parts. They are :
1. End system or Instruments
2. Transmission system
3. Switching system
4. Signaling
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 End Systems or Instruments

The end system or instruments are a transmitter or

receiver that are responsible for sending
information or decoding or inverting received
information or message into an intelligible
message. Some common end systems

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 Transmission System & signaling.
The transmission on links conveys the information
and control signals between the terminals and
switching centers. The transmission links include
two-wire lines, coaxial cables microwave radio,
optical fibers and satellites
Signaling Systems: A signaling system in a data
communication networks exchanges signaling
information effectively between subscribers
Signaling provides the interface between different
national systems

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 Various Transmission

Fig . Various transmission media.

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 Switching systems
A switching system is a collection of
switching elements arranged and controlled
in such a way as to setup a communication
path between any two distant points.
A switching center of a telephone network
comprising a switching network and its
control and support equipment is called a
central office.
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 Switching Networks
• A switched network consists of a series of
interlinked nodes called switches.
• Nodes are not concerned with content of data.
• Data is routed by being switched from node to
node.
• Nodes may connect to other nodes only, or to
stations and other nodes
• Node to node links usually multiplexed
• Network is usually partially connected
– Some redundant connections are desirable for 7

reliability
 Why switching?
• Switching: A method of establishing connections
and sending information between nodes on a
network.
In principle, all telephones could be connected to
each other by cables. However, as the number of
telephones grew, one to one connection was not
possible with economic perspective . Hence,
switching of signals from one wire to another was
found to be necessary.
 few cable connections between exchanges
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 Switching concept

Switching systems provide economic

benefits, when we have more users than
communication links.
• Centralized switching reduces the number
of interconnecting links.
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Switched and non-switched
system

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 Switching Concepts

m inputs m outputs

n outputs
n inputs
mxn n inputs n outputs nxm

Concentration Distribution Expansion

Outgoing Incoming
Trunks Trunks

Distribution Stage

Figure 1.2: Concentration, Distribution and expansion

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 Switching functions
Switching system = Hardware + software
• Major functions of switching equipment at a central
office:
• Dial tone
• Customer and phone number identification
• Call setup
• Call routing
• Call supervision
• Line testing and maintenance

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 Functions of a Switching System

• Attending
• Path selection
• rout selection
• busy testing
• path establishment
• network interconnection
• signal transmission
• alerting
• supervision

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 Central Office Hierarchy

• Serving area (of a local office) - the geographical

boundary that includes all its subscribers. It extends
roughly three miles in all directions from the central office
(CO).

• Trunk - a transmission route between switches that

typically has a great deal more capacity than a feeder.

• Regional offices - Class 1 central office.

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 Telephone network
central office
Regional office
Class 1 office)

Tandem office Tandem office

End office End office End office End office

(Class 5 officer (Class 5 office) Class 5 oNice) (Class 5 officeJ
Figure 1.3 Central ofYice hierarchy

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 Simple Switched Network
Mainframe

Personal
computer Server

Personal
computer

Personal
computer

Personal
computer

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 Blocking or Non-blocking networks
• Blocking
– A network is unable to connect stations because all
paths are in use
– A blocking network allows this
– Used on voice systems
• Short duration calls
• Non-blocking
– Permits all stations to connect (in pairs) at once
– Used for some data connections

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 History of switching
 Earlier telephone switching was done manually
by having operators negotiate with each others
until a connection is established.
• First switches were not automatic so switching
was done manually using a switchboard.
 The earliest telephone exchanges were “manual”
switchboards, in which all calls were set up and
taken down by operators. The operator
performs the following function: Set up ,
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supervise and clear the call.
 History of switching
• First ever manual exchange appeared in
1878 in New Haven Connecticut, US. First
manual exchange to appear in the UK was
in 1879

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 History of switching
• Strowger developed the first automatic
switch (exchange) in 1887.
• At that time, switching had to be controlled
by the telephone user with the help of
pulses generated by a dial.
Electromechanical to software-controlled
digital exchanges.

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 Step by step (Strowger) switching
systems
• The basic working principle of Strowger
automation was based on stepping switch.
• The basic concept of step by step switching
systems is, it operates by using rotating “
selectors” that can select a “level”(or step)
by the number of pulses that are interrupted
on a line (using a “rotary” telephone).The
step-by-step switch was able to replace
human operator connection and grant
privacy and also call control to the 21

subscriber.
 Basics of Strowger Switching
(Stepping switch)
• A basic stepping switch has a single input
terminal (the stepping terminal) and
multiple output terminals as shown fig
below.

One way motion stepping switch

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 Stepping switch
• A selector starts in the 'home' position and with each
'impulse' the wiper contacts would progress round the
output bank to the next position.
• Each output would be connected to a different
subscriber, thus the caller could connect to any other
subscriber who was connected to that bank, without any
manual assistance from an operator.
• The position of the wiper is controlled by an
electromagnet. Each time an electric pulse is received at
the stepping terminal and the electromagnet is activated.
This causes the rotary contact to advance one position,
and connect the input terminal to the next output
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 Step by step (Strowger) switching
systems
• The complete layout of Strowger exchange
unit is shown in fig 4 below.

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 Step by step switching
The complete Strowger exchange unit consists of numbering
scheme, automatic implementation switching unit,
charging and alarm unit.
• Numbering Schemes: There were many different versions
of Strowger type exchanges. i.e from small subscribers to
thousands of subscriber.
• In a small village about 50 subscribers, three digits were
assigned. For example, in small rural area, numbers in the
range 200-299 on the final selector (level 2) would be
used.
• Three digit includes special codes like operator, telegrams
,emergency, payable and non-payable phones, etc

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 Automatic Exchange unit
• An automatic exchange has subscriber's line circuit, line
finder and allotter, charging and alarm unit.
 Subscriber's Line Circuit
At the exchange, every subscriber's line terminates into its
own Subscribers Line Circuit (SLC) and additional
wires are added for internal signaling. These are, P (or
Private) and M (or Meter) wires
• In addition to SLCs relays (called 'LR' & 'K' or 'L' & 'K'),
for unattended exchanges a third relay (Called 'P') was
provided to avoid tieing up common equipment for a long
period

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 Line Finder & Allotter
When the subscriber lifts his handset, current start to flow on
the line; this is detected by the SLC and gives dialing tone
• When a subscriber is calling, the allotter finds a free
selector and the line finder connects the calling subscriber
to the selector. This is shown in fig5 below.

• Simplified Routing of a Local Call 27

 Charging

• In automatic exchange, every subscriber was allocated a

digit counter (meter) in the exchange. This consisted of
an electromagnet which closed with every metering pulse.
The first meter pulse was generated as soon at the called
subscriber answers the call. The timed pulses were
generated by the Ring Generator
• After 10 clicks round, the timer is back to its original
position and if the call is still active, it sends another
metering pulse, and another unit is charged to the caller.
• The reading of the meter is photographed by a
photographer to be read by billing department.
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 Alarms
• To alert engineers for any possible faults, all Strowger type
exchanges were fitted with a number of alarms .The possible faults
were equipment failure and unusual operations. The most important
alarms are as follows:
• Permanent Glow (PG): This alarm indicated that a subscriber's
phone was off hook and when a call was not in progress. This can be
done deliberately not to receive any call or by mistake.
• Called Subscriber Held (CSH): This condition occurs when the
called party hangs up his phone but the caller still remains active. As
soon as a CSH condition is detected, a timer starts. If a period of
(say) 3 minutes elapses without the called subscriber picking their
handset up again then the call is cleared down and charging ceases.
• Release Alarm (RA) : The release alarm is the important one

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 Crossbar Switching system
• The step-by-step switch was able to replace human
operator connection and grant privacy and also call
control to the subscriber.
• But, step-by-step was noisy, slow bulky, too expensive to
maintain and inefficient. Hence, because of all these
limitations, it was replaced by the crossbar switch.
• A crossbar switch consists of a matrix of horizontal and
vertical conductors that can be made to interconnect at any
required cross-point by the vertical bar trapping a metal
finger attached to the horizontal bar when the later is tilted
by a relay operated by the marker circuit in the common-
control.
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Crossbar Switching system

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 Crossbar Switching system
To explain the principle of operation let consider 4x4 matrix
switch shown fig6 below

The intersections between horizontal and vertical lines are

called cross points.
At each cross point an electromagnetic switch is applied to
complete the connection between horizontal and vertical
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lines, as shown fig above
 Crossbar Switching system
Any of the 4 inlets can be connected to any of the 4 outlets by
closing the appropriate switch contacts. For example;
• Inlet1 can be connected to outlet 2 by closing contact B.
• Inlet 4 can be connected to outlet 3 by closing contact R.
• When n and m are different, the maximum number of
simultaneous connections that can be carried by a matrix
switch is given by which ever of the number of inlets or
outlets is smaller.
• As compare to Strowger switching system, crossbar
switching system was faster and efficient switching
system. In addition to this, crossbar system differs from
Strowger system it has been designed using the common
control concept which makes the switch to perform some33
intelligent action.
 Principle of common control
• The introduction of common control method in crossbar switching
system, the dialing method makes it easier by assigning a logical
address which is independent of the call origination.
• In directory strowger switching system if there is no reserved level in
first selector, the user expected to know the network topology
because the subscriber identification number and the call origination
location were route dependent.

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 common control functions
In common control system, a number has two parts these are
exchange identifier and a subscriber line identifier within the exchange.
In general the control functions are Event monitoring, call processing,
charging and operational and maintenance.
• Event monitoring: when a subscriber goes off-hook, the event is
sensed, the calling location is determined and marked for dial tone and
the register finder is activated to seize a free register .
• Call processing: As soon as the exchange identity digits are received
by the register, they pass to translator for processing while receiving the
remain digits.
• Call processing includes determination of whether call to put through
or not, routing path, charging method and rate of charging.
• Register sends dial tone to the user and prepares to receive digits

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 Common control functions
• Charging: The charging method and the rate of charging
are determine based on subscribers class of service
information.
• Operational and Maintenance: . Includes putting new
subscriber lines trunks into services, modifying
subscriber service entitlements and changing routing
plans based on the network status .maintenance activities
include supervision of proper functioning of the exchange
equipment, subscriber lines and trunks. The control
system also aid fault tracing without the maintenance
personnel having to perform elaborate test.

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 Crossbar Switching system
• Crossbar switch had a significant advantage over
step by step since it was able to:
– Use a “store and forward “concept where it would take
incoming digits, store them, and then process the call.
– Was able to do call routing and determine where a call
should be sent to by doing “translations”.
– Faster and more efficient.

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Electronic Switching systems (ESS), Associated
Control or Stored Program Control (SCP)

• Stored-program control (SPC) is a broad term

designating switches where common control is
carried out to a greater extent or entirely by
computerware.
• Computerware can be a full scale computer,
minimicrocomputer, microprocessor, or other
electronic logic gates.

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),
• Control function may be entirely carried out by a
central computer in one extreme for centralized
processing or partially or wholly by distributed
processing utilizing microcomputers.
• Replacing register markers with programmable
logic-computer, permits one device to carry out
the work of 40 markers (up to 40 expensive
markers are required on a large exchange.)

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),

• Basic function of stored program control

(SPC)
• There are four basic functional elements of an
SPC switching system:
– (1) switching matrix,
– (2) call-store (memory),
– (3) program store (memory), and
– (4) central processor.

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Electronic Switching systems (ESS),

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),

• The switching matrix can be made up of

electromechanical cross-points, such as
semiconductor diodes.
• The call store is a temporary storage of incoming
call information ready for use, on command from
the central processor.
• It also contains availability and status information
of lines, trunks and service circuits, and internal
switch circuit conditions.
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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),
• Circuit status information is brought to the
memory by a method of scanning.
• All speech circuits are scanned for a busy/idle
condition.
• The program store provides the basic instructions
to the controller (central processor).

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),
• Translation information is held in this store, such
as DN to EN translation and trunk signaling
information.

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Fig. 5 Conceptual block diagram of a typical SPC exchange

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),
• The control network executes the orders given by
the central control processor.
• These orders usually consist of instructions such
as “connect” or release along with location
information on where to carry out the actions on
the switching network.

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 Electronic Switching systems (ESS),
• The scanner is an input circuit used for sampling
the states (idle or busy) of subscriber lines,
trunks, and switch test points to permit
monitoring the operation of the system.
• The signal distributor is an output circuit
directing output signals to various points in the
system.

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