A simple method is proposed to evaluate diverse wavelength cross-connect(WXC) structures.We make a qualitiative analysis of blocking,modularity,broadcast capability and scalability of several familiar WXCs.Linear equations are used to set up a math model and make a quantitative analysis of insertion loss,hardware cost and flexibility for the WXCs.Compared with several WXC schemes,the switching fabric based on demux/space switches matrix/mux(DSM) is shown to have the least loss.Moreover,a conclusion is drawn that DSM is more cost-effective and flexible.