Switching Networks: Recent Advances

The switching net.work is an important. classic research area in t.ele communication and comput.er net.works. It.s import.ancc st.ems from both theory and practice. In fact, some open problems, such as Benes conjec ture on shuffle-exchange networks and Chung-Rmis conjecture on multi rate rearrangeability, still attract many researchers and the further de velopment in optical networks requires advanced technology in optical switching networks. In 1997, we had a workshop in switching networks held in NSF Sci ence and Technology Center in Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), at Princeton University. This workshop was very successful. Many participants wished to have a similar activity every two or three years. This book is a result of such a wish. We are putting together SOllle important developments in this area during last. several years, including articles ill fault-tolerance, rearrang{~ability. non blocking, optical networks. random permutation generat.ioll. and layout complexity. SOlllC of thos(~ art ides are research papers alld SOIllC an' sur veys. All articles were reviewed. We would like to uWlItioll two special problems studied in those articles.