Switch configured network

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a communication system that can be optimized for both long messages and short messages.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a communication system that offers high bandwidth capacity and short connection times.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a communication that combines the advantages of a local network with a line switching system.
It is another object of this invention to provide a communication that is flexible to changing requirements of its users.
The invention can be summarized as a communication system comprising switching means, such as a cross-point switch, for selectively interconnecting multiple users.
The invention further includes one or more forwarding units that are also selectively connected through the switch to the users.
The forwarding units set up switching trees for the broadcast of information between all the users connected to the forwarding unit.
The forwarding unit can have modular structure to allow the addition of further users to the tree broadcast system.
Thereby, the users can either be line switched for point-to-point communication or can be connected to the forwarding unit to dynamically form local subnetworks.