HIGH-SPEED PACKET-SWITCHED COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM WITH END-TO-END FLOW CONTROL AND RETRANSMISSION

摘要

Disclosed is a packet switched communications system wherein a plurality of switching nodes serves a plurality of terminals through transmission links. Each of the terminals transmits a packet of data-link layer control protocol including a network-layer control protocol to an associated one of the switching nodes. Each of the switching nodes is responsive to the network control protocol of the packet for routing it to one of the transmission links defined by the network layer control protocol of the packet. The switching node includes a plurality of line controllers associated respectively to the transmission links. Each line controller appends a physical address of the packet at the defined transmission link to the packet and updates its network-layer control protocol with a logical address of the packet at the defined transmission link and sends it to the line controller associated with the defined transmission link by way of a switching network.