A network of spine switches and leaf switches is disclosed wherein the
spine switches and leaf switches are coupled using a simplified
interconnect made up of multiple signal carrying media (SCM's). In the
simplified interconnect, "virtual" links are used rather than physical
links to couple the leaf switches to the spine switches. The virtual
links are implemented using wavelength division multiplexing. By
implementing virtual links, the network achieves the same connectivity as
that provided by a Clos network without the complex interconnect that is
typically required in a Clos network.