A flexible global distributed switch adapted for wide geographical coverage with
an end-to-end capacity that scales to several Petabits per second (Pb/s), while
providing grade-of-service and quality-of-service control, is constructed from
packet-switching edge modules and channel-switching core modules. The global distributed
switch may be used to form a global Internet. The global distributed switch enables
simple controls, resulting in scalability and performance advantages due to a significant
reduction in the mean number of hops in a path between two edge modules. Traffic
is sorted at each ingress edge module according to egress edge module. At least
one packet queue is dedicated to each egress edge module. Harmonious reconfiguration
of edge modules and core modules is realized by time counter co-ordination. The
global distributed switch can be enlarged from an initial capacity of a few Terabits
per second to a capacity of several Petabits per second, and from regional to global
coverage. It can accommodate connections to legacy systems, such as IP-based networks,
and provide connections over one or two hops among distant legacy devices, such
as routers.
