Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

Switch architecture is provided for interfacing a high speed broad bandwidth communication network to a communication fabric having a bandwidth which is a fraction of the high speed broad bandwidth with the network and the fabric having different data packet formats. A multiplex/inverse multiplex unit is provided for converting data packets at the first carrier rate and in the first format to data packets in the second format, and a switch converter then converts the data packet headers in the second format into switch format headers for transmission of the data packets through ports of the communication fabric. A splitter receives the data packets from the switch converter and routes the data packets to one of a plurality of the fabric ports in accordance with the connection identifier in the switch format header, the data packets to one of a plurality of fabric ports being at a second carrier rate. A sequencer receives data packets from a plurality of fabric ports at the second carrier rate and includes a resequencing circuit for split data packets received from the plurality of fabric ports. A second switch converter converts the data packet headers received from the sequencer into data packet headers in the second format, and the second format converter receives and converts the data packets from the second switching converter at the second carrier rate into data packets in the first format and at the first carrier rate. The multiplex/inverse multiplex unit can be used to adapt any high rate data stream to a lower rate switch fabric data stream.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim