Patent ID: 6426952
Filing Date: 2002-07-30
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A multi-interface switching system, including:a plurality of I/O ports coupled to a plurality of respective devices; and a switching fabric that selectively delivers each of a plurality of different signals from a selected one of the I/O ports coupled to a sending one of the devices to another selected one of the I/O ports coupled to a receiving one of the devices, to thereby establish respective connections between the sending and receiving devices; wherein at least one of the different signals is a parallel interface format signal and at least one of the different signals is a serial interface format signal; wherein the switching fabric does not interact with any data transfer protocol used by the devices for data communications with one another; and wherein the switching fabric provides a fixed, low latency signal path for each connection between a sending and receiving device for the duration of that connection, whereby the latency of that connection is deterministic and predictable, and the signal being delivered via that connection is not analyzed or processed by the switching fabric.