Efficient hardware/software interface for a data switch
US5724348A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 5, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 5, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/5652
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A data switch is described with a multi-port data switching element, one or more input/output adapters for receiving user data cells from outside the switch and for transmitting cells switched through the switching element to a network outside the switch, and a control element including a control processor. To reduce the complexity of the data switch, the single control processor is used to control operations of hardware modules on both the the control element on which the processor is located and on the input/output adapters. The control is provided by means of control cells which generally traverse the same data paths as user data cells and generally conform to the format of user data cells, at least within the data switch. Both the control processor and the hardware modules are capable of generating control cells and transmitting them toward a target, either the control processor or hardware modules.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.