Configuration of inter-office switch for extreme traffic with zone configuration evaluator diagram

The problem addressed by this paper is to enable a manufacturer's representative to configure an inter-office switch with a balance of desirable functionality and measured performance under several potential extremes of traffic. The zone-configuration evaluator diagram (ZCED), a decision aid that generates the tradeoffs among different configurations, is developed to enable the switch manufacturer to forego the past practice of guaranteeing absolute performance to all of its diverse customers. This guarantee was achieved in the past by the manufacturer supporting a single conservative configuration only. The ZCED simultaneously characterizes (i) customer needs in three regimes: safety-critical, business-critical, or non-critical; (ii) extremes of traffic in terms of non-peak, average, peak, and peak–peak scenarios; and (iii) measurable performance in terms of frequency of lost transactions. Thus, a manufacturer's representative selects a configuration appropriate to the customer's individual needs and the manufacturer achieves higher revenue on the sale of desirable functions and features. A demonstration of the ZCED is developed based on a performance simulation of an actual small-office switch. The ZCED concept is readily adaptable to the configuration of other communication devices with diverse customer needs, traffic loads, and optional functionalities.