
Communications
computational tasks as well as allowing one device to communicate
with another by setting up temporary direct connections between
them. In this latter role, it is acting like
a
telephone exchange, using a
system of switches to connect the two devices so that the call (i.e. the
information exchange) can take place.
The connection that is set up by this switching process is completely
dedicated to the call, and cannot be used for any other purpose until
the call is finished even though, for a significant part of the call time,
there will be no information being exchanged.
In telecommunications networks, such as the UK telephon