Patent ID: 7293058

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing routing resources in a measurement device, the method comprising: creating one or more legs of a circuit-switched route from a source within the measurement device to a destination within the measurement device, wherein, for each respective leg of said one or more legs, said creating includes: determining if a routing resource for the respective leg is reserved for use by another route, wherein the routing resource has a usage count, and wherein said determining if the routing resource for the respective leg is reserved for use by another route comprises determining if the usage count has a non-zero value; if the routing resource for the respective leg is reserved for use by another route, then: comparing a desired configuration of the respective leg with the current configuration of the routing resource; and reserving the routing resource if the current configuration of the routing resource conforms to the desired configuration of the respective leg, wherein said reserving the routing resource comprises incrementing the usage count of the routing resource by one, and wherein the routing resource is shared by the route and the other route; if the routing resource for the respective leg is not reserved for use by another route, then: configuring the routing resource in accordance with the desired configuration of the respective leg; and reserving the routing resource; and storing the route in a memory; wherein the route is operable to route signals in the measurement device.