MESSAGE RING IN A SWITCHING NETWORK

• US 20110026540A1
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TR Communications CA, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Pu, Jimmy, Clem, Shaun, Reed, Chris, Khacherian, Todd, Patek, Darrin
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/422
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6437 Ring

Abstract

A switching network for efficiently receiving and transmitting data packets having both frames and messages includes a crossbar switch with a plurality of surrounding ports for exclusively switching frames which normally consist of large data streams of 40 to 60 bytes. Then the ports are connected together in a message ring and small data entity messages, for example 4, 8, or 12 bytes, are switched from an input port to an output port around the ring avoiding congestion of the crossbar switch.

Claims

1. A switching network for receiving and transmitting data packets having both frames which consist of relatively long strings of bytes and messages which consist of small entities of bytes comprising:

a plurality of data ports wherein

each of the plurality of data ports can be an input port for sending the frames and the messages and

each of the plurality of data ports can be an output port for receiving the frames and the messages

a message ring comprising means for successively interconnecting one data port to an adjacent data port for passing the messages from an input port, successively through a plurality of intermediate ports to a destination output port

a crossbar for connecting the plurality of data ports for switching the frames from an input port to an output port

wherein the frames and messages are processed simultaneously

wherein the messages do not pass through the crossbar.

2. The switching network as in claim 1 further comprising a parser means for separating the frames from the messages to form two separate data streams.

3. The switching network as in claim 2 wherein the parser means further comprises a frame queue and a message queue.

4. The switching network as in claim 3 wherein the messages are given a message ring destination identifier.

5. The switching network of claim 1 wherein the message ring further comprises a clock means for moving the messages from one data port to another data port for every clock pulse.

6. The switching network of claim 1 wherein the message ring further comprises a ring controller.

7. The switching network of claim 6 further comprising a gate means associated with each of the plurality of data ports for allowing a message into a data port only if no other data is present in said data port.

8. The switching network of claim 7 wherein the ring controller manages the gate means.

9. The switching network of claim 1 wherein the frames comprise 40 to 64 bytes.

10. The switching network of claim 1 wherein the messages comprise 4, 8, or 12 bytes.

11. A switching network for receiving and transmitting data packets having both frames which consist of relatively long strings of bytes and messages which consist of small entities of bytes, comprising:

a plurality of switch elements, where each switch element comprises;

a plurality of data ports wherein

each of the plurality of data ports can be an input port for sending the frames and the messages and

each of the plurality of data ports can be an output port for receiving the frames and the messages

a message ring comprising means for successively interconnecting one data port to an adjacent data port for passing the messages from an input port, successively through a plurality of intermediate ports to a destination output port

a crossbar for connecting the plurality of data ports for switching the frames from an input port to an output port

wherein the frames and messages are processed simultaneously

wherein the messages do not pass through the crossbar.

12. The switching network as in claim 11 wherein each switch element further comprises a parser means for separating the frames from the messages to form two separate data streams.

13. The switching network as in claim 12 wherein the parser means further comprises a frame queue and a message queue.

14. The switching network as in claim 13 wherein the messages are given a message ring destination identifier.

15. The switching network of claim 11 wherein the message ring further comprises a clock means for moving the messages from one data port to another data port for every clock pulse.

16. The switching network of claim 11 wherein the message ring further comprises a ring controller.

17. The switching network of claim 16 wherein each switch element further comprises a gate means associated with each of the plurality of data ports for allowing a message into a data port only if no other data is present in said data port.

18. The switching network of claim 17 wherein the ring controller manages the gate means.

19. The switching network of claim 11 wherein the frames comprise 40 to 64 bytes.

20. The switching network of claim 11 wherein the messages comprise 4, 8, or 12 bytes.