MULTI-SWITCH CHASSIS

• US 20080315985A1
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Torudbakken, Ola, Bechtolsheim, Andreas, Johnsen, Bjorn Dag
• Application Number:
  US12/015,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20080315985A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/2.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/035 Cooling of active equipments, e.g. air ducts
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/06 Cable ducts or mountings specially adapted for exchange installations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/064 horizontal management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/066 arranged on the front side
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/145 with switches arranged in a matrix configuration

Abstract

In a switch system L groups of the line switch elements are connectable to cables that include L links such that each of the L links within a cable connect to a switch element of a respective one of the L groups. Fabric switch elements are connected such that a fabric switch element is connected to the line switch elements of one of the group of line switch elements.

Claims

1. A switch system comprises plurality of line switch elements and a plurality of fabric switch elements, wherein L groups of the line switch elements are connectable to cables that include L links such that each of the L links within a cable connect to a switch element of a respective one of the L groups and wherein one of the plurality of fabric switch elements connects to line switch elements of one of the group of line switch elements.

2. The switch system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fabric switch elements is connected to the line switch elements of a respective one of the group of line switch elements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein any interconnectivity between the line switch elements is via the fabric switch elements.

4. The switch system of claim 1, wherein the fabric switch elements form independent switches.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each fabric switch element has N ports, and the system has N*L switch ports.

6. The system of claim 1, forming a non-blocking Clos-based interconnect fabric.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein each switch element on the at least one fabric card has N ports, whereby the system of claim 1 has an N*L switch ports.

7. A switch system comprising:

at least one line card connectable to at least one cable that comprises L links, the at least one line card comprising L groups of line switch elements configured such that each of the L links within the at least one cable connect to a line switch element of a respective one of the L groups of line switch elements; and

at least one fabric card connected to the at least one line card and comprising fabric switch elements connected such that a fabric switch element connects to line switch elements that belong to one of the L groups.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one fabric card represents a single switch tier and the fabric switch elements of the at least one fabric card form independent switches.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein interconnectivity between the line switch elements is via the fabric switch elements.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the line cards comprise cable connectors for the attachment of line cables.

11. The system of claim 7, comprising a plurality of fabric cards, wherein connectivity is provided such that at least one of the fabric cards is dedicated to a single one of the L groups.

12. The system of claim 7, comprising a plurality of fabric cards, wherein connectivity is provided such that each fabric card has connectivity for all the L groups.

13. The system of claim 7, comprising L fabric cards.

15. The system of claim 7, comprising a chassis that includes the at least one fabric card and the at least one line card interconnected via a midplane.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein a number of line cables is minimized and a highest practical link aggregation per cable is used.

17. The system of claim 7, forming a non-blocking Clos-based interconnect fabric.

18. A method of implementing a switch system in a switch chassis, the method comprising:

connecting at least one cable that comprises L links to at least one line card that comprises L groups of switch elements configured such that each of the L links within the at least one cable connect to a switch element of a respective one of the L groups of switch elements of the at least one line card; and

connecting the at least one line card to at least one fabric card that comprises switch elements such that links from the at least one line-card to the at least one fabric-card and connectivity to the switch elements of the at least one fabric card are such that each switch element on the at least one fabric card only connects to switch elements on the line cards that belong to the same group.