Routing method and packet switching networks having a distance indicator for routing

摘要

A first switching network embodying the invention is a subscriber installation having a chain structure. In the network, the switching is distributed over a plurality of switches each connecting a terminal to the network. A second embodiment is a business network having a star-chain structure and comprising a plurality of sub-networks of chain type. The sub-networks are star connected to central switches which operate in a load sharing mode. According to the method embodying the invention, the terminals connected to the network assume themselves the responsibility for determining communication routes through the network. During a communication set-up phase, caller and callee terminals transmit call packets which are disseminated to all terminals in order to measure two so-called "distances" respectively between the caller and the callee and between the callee and the caller. These distances are after included in data packets for routing said packets.