Network switch with separate cut-through buffer
US6094434A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L49/354
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network switch including a separate cut-through buffer for facilitating cut-through mode of data transfer. The switch further includes a data bus coupled to each of the ports, a memory and a switch manager coupled to the data bus and to the memory for controlling data flow. The switch manager includes a receive buffer for handling data received by the switch, a transmit buffer for handling data to be transmitted by the switch, and a separate cut-through buffer for receiving data at any of the ports and for buffering the data to another one of the ports during cut-through mode of operation. The switch manager includes status memory, which includes programmable receive and transmit mode values for each of the ports, the modes selecting between cut-through and store-and-forward mode of operation for an indicated direction for each port. Control logic operates source and destination ports in cut-through mode if the receive mode value of the source port and the transmit mode value of the destination port have both been programmed to select cut-through mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.