One-stage one-sided rearrangeable switching networks

Switching networks consisting of subscriber lines and crosswires connected by switches are considered. A connection between two subscribers is made along one crosswire via two switches. The minimum number of switches necessary for such a switching network to be rearrangeably nonblocking is determined and a switching arrangement which achieves this minimum for any (even) number of subscriber lines is constructed. Two procedures for assignment of crosswires to subscriber line pairs are described. One makes the correct choice of connection route without backtracking provided all connections are known beforehand; the other determines a rearrangement of existing assignments when a new connection is required. The switching networks which have the minimum number of switches for networks with up to eight subscriber lines and give nonisomorphic solutions for larger networks are characterized