A single cabinet-mounted chassis can contain up to sixteen A/B switchable circuits. The chassis mounts in a NEMA standard 19" cabinet and occupies 7" (4 RU) of vertical space. The console management link can be daisy-chained among multiple chassis within a single location.

The console can be any customer-supplied ASCII terminal or a PC with VIR's optional Windows based software. A single VIRtuoso-equipped PC can support up to four hundred chassis at up to twenty physical locations. Eight locations can be accessed simultaneously via eight comm ports and ISP locations. If a network contains more than eight locations, dial-up or X.25 connections can provide shared access among some or all comm ports.

When shared access is utilized, the console is configured to place outgoing calls and receive incoming calls (from the ISP locations).

Each circuit can be individually configured to alarm on presence or absence of any physical layer signal. The console operator will be alerted when any alarm condition occurs for the minimum defined duration and, if programmed accordingly, the alarming circuit (or any defined group of circuits) will switch to a backup configuration. The operator can also, at any time, display a "software breakout box" with critical signal status for any circuit in the entire network.

The ISP is particularly suitable for unattended sites or sites without technical personnel. In those sites, a third-party tester (accessible via modem) would be permanently installed for problem investigation. In the event of a problem, ISP console commands would establish the required physical connection from the tester to the circuit in question for either bridged (monitor) testing or intrusive testing, such as BER tests or protocol simulation.

Bridged testing is accomplished via either the "Monitor Bus" or the "Interactive Bus." The Monitor Bus converts all signals to outputs at RS-232/V.24, V.35, RS-530/422A or X.21 electrical signaling, depending on the installed ITM control module. As a result, the user need install only one monitor tester, regardless of the actual user signaling. In addition, the Monitor Bus prevents the inadvertent injection of signaling back toward the user circuit. Intrusive testing always uses the Interactive Bus and a copper path is provided between the user circuit and the tester.

The Intelligent Switch/Patch is available in many potential configurations, which allow the user to select the most economical solution. An ISP typically includes a chassis, one or two power supplies, one control module and up to sixteen circuit modules.

Three chassis are available, differing on the rear user connector presentation. Power supplies are available for 110VAC, 220VAC and 48VDC.

Control Modules can be selected with virtually any combination of front-mounted LED indicators (for manual patch cord insertion) and rear "monitor" outputs (under console control), An IMTM test module, with a feed-through to a rear test connector, replaces the Control Module in systems not requiring console support.