A distributed telecommunications network and supervisory system

A digital-circuit-switched telecommunications network and its associated supervisory system in use at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, are described in this paper. The network currently services over 1600 terminals and workstations as well as 600 computer ports. The seven circuit switches which constitute the switching network are distributed in a campus-like environment. While the circuit switches are commercial microprocessor-controlled port contenders, the controlling software has been extensively modified to meet the specific needs of this Department of Energy laboratory. The supervisory system, consisting of interconnected processors located in the major communications centers, forms the interface between operations personnel and the network switches. The processors provide a display of network activity and a convenient method of submitting commands to the individual switches. In addition, the supervisory system gathers network usage statistics, logs all system activity and generates periodic reports detailing usage.