Selectively switching data between link interfaces and processing engines in a network switch
US7535895B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 19, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/567
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Technology is disclosed for directing data through a network switch. One version of a network switch employs a mid-plane architecture that allows data to be directed between any link interface and any processing engine. Each time slot of data from an ingress link interface can be separately directed to any ingress processing engine. Each time slot of data from an egress processing engine can be separately directed to any egress link interface that supports the lower level protocol for the data. In one version of the switch, each processing engine in the network switch has the ability to service all of the protocols from the layers of the OSI model that are supported by the switch and not handled on the link interfaces. This allows the switch to allocate processing engine resources, regardless of the protocols employed in the data passing through the switch.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.