Method and apparatus for managing contention in a self-routing switching architecture in a port expansion mode
US6343081B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/5679
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing contention in a self-routing switching architecture based on a set of n×n individual switching structures that are connected in a port expansion mode by means of fan-out and fan-in circuits providing access of the Switch Core Access Layer (SCAL) to the different input and output ports of the switching core. The fan-in circuits use an arbitration mechanism for providing a token to the switch that is allowed to deliver the next cell and the arbiter operates from a detection of a special comma character in accordance with the 8B/10B coding scheme which is introduced in the data flow between the individual switching structures and the fan-in circuits. This provides a compensation for the difference in transfer delays of the cells even when high switching speed and long length of the physical media are involved.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.