DEVICE FOR SWITCHING THROUGH MESSAGES BETWEEN SECTIONS OF A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK THAT CAN OPERATE BASED ON THE CONNECTION-ORIENTED MODE AND/OR THE CONNECTIONLESS TRANSMISSION MODE

摘要

Device for switching through messages between sections of a communications network that can operate based on the connection-oriented mode and/or the connectionless transmission mode. By combining a router (R) with a switch (AS) by means of a higher ranking control unit (S) and an interworking unit (IW) to adapt the physical interfaces of the router to those of the switch, a system architecture of a switch-router (SR) is provided which allows the integration of connection-oriented and connectionless networks into a homogeneous network.