Patent ID: 6212194
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A routing switch for routing data transmissions between a plurality of buses, the routing switch comprising:a plurality of input buffers;a plurality of output buffers; androuting means for granting a routing request made by any one of said input buffers by providing a data path for conveying a data transmission between the input buffer making the routing request and an output buffer identified by the routing request, and for sending STATUS data to each input buffer wherein said STATUS data concurrently indicates a status of every one of said output buffers,wherein the status of an output buffer is idle if it is not currently linked to one of said input buffers by a data path provided by said routing means and the status of an output buffer is busy if it is currently linked to one of said input buffers by a data Path provided by said routing means,wherein each input buffer corresponds to a separate one of said buses, receives and stores data transmissions arriving at said routing switch via its corresponding bus, sends a routing request to the routing means the routing request identifying an idle output buffer indicated by said STATUS data as being idle whenever the input buffer is not currently forwarding a data transmission to an output buffer and is currently storing a data transmission to be forwarded by the idle output buffer, and forwards the stored data transmission to the idle output buffer via a data path provided by said routing means when said routing means grants the routing request, andwherein each output buffer corresponds to a separate one of said buses and forwards each data transmission received from any one of said input buffers outward from said routing switch via its corresponding bus.