Scalable Router-Switch

• US 20070140230A1
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maged Beshai
• Original Assignee: Maged Beshai
• Inventors: Beshai, Maged
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/360
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/103 using a shared central buffer; using a shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling

Abstract

A scalable router-switch comprises a plurality of switch units each having consolidation means for data disassembling and reassembling. The switch units are arranged into switch modules and the switch units of each switch module are interconnected through a dual rotator to form a contention-free temporal mesh.

Claims

1. A switch comprising:

a plurality of switch units, each having a memory device, said switch units arranged into switch modules, each switch module including m switch units, m>

1, and each of said m switch units of said each switch module connecting to κ

switch units, κ

>

1, of κ

different switch modules to create a full spatial mesh of (m×

κ

+1) switch modules,

wherein said m switch units of each switch module are interconnected in a contention-free temporal mesh;

and wherein each switch unit in said each switch module has means for receiving data blocks each data block having multiple data segments;

disassembling said each data block into constituent data segments; and

assembling data segments of different data blocks into new data blocks, according to data-segment destination, for contention-free switching through said each switch module.

2. The switch of claim 1 further comprising:

a dual rotator interconnecting said m switch units of said each switch module; and

a controller operable to allocate corresponding memory addresses in said m switch units to hold a data block formed at one of said m switch units and destined to another one of said m switch units.

3. In a switch comprising a plurality of switch modules, a method of switching comprising:

receiving data segments;

assembling said data segments into primary data blocks, according to a first criterion, each primary data block comprising at least one data segment;

switching said primary data blocks through a first switch module;

disassembling switched primary data blocks into primary constituent data segments;

reassembling said primary constituent data segments into secondary data blocks according to a second criterion; and

switching said secondary data blocks through a second switch module.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising a further step of disassembling secondary data blocks at egress ports of said second switch module into constituent data segments for transmission to external data sinks.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said first criterion is an identifier of a switch module from among said plurality of switch modules and said second criterion is an identifier of an egress port of said second switch module.

6. The method of claim 3 comprising further steps of:

disassembling switched secondary data blocks into secondary constituent data segments;

reassembling said secondary constituent data segments into ternary data blocks according to a third criterion;

switching said ternary data through a third switch module; and

disassembling ternary data blocks at each of egress ports of said third switch module into ternary constituent data segments for transmission to external data sinks.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said first criterion is an identifier of a switch module from among said plurality of switch modules, said second criterion is an identifier of another switch module from among said plurality of switch modules, and said third criterion is an identifier of an egress port of said third switch module.