Patent ID: 6996116
Filing Date: 2006-02-07
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An interface module claim for connecting a data communications link to a switch node, comprising a plurality of other interface modules, of a data communications network, the interface module comprising: an external port for connection to the data communications link; a plurality of internal ports for connection to respective internal ports of said other interface modules of the switching node; a link interface, connected to the external port, for processing inbound data for forwarding across the switching node and outbound data for transmission over said data communications link; a switch circuit, connected between the link interface and the internal ports of the interface module, for transmission of data between the internal ports of the interface module and between the internal ports and the link interface; and a controller for controlling routing of data via the internal ports of the interface module in accordance with an intra-node routing protocol governing routing of data across an intra-node network of interconnected interface modules of the switching node, wherein the link interface comprises an external routing component for adding external routing information to data to be forwarded across the switching node in dependence on a destination address indicated by the data to be forwarded, said external routing information indicating an external port of one of said other interface modules of the switching node to which the data is to be forwarded.