Patent ID: 6597693
Filing Date: 2003-07-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A network switch arrangement comprising:an external memory for temporarily storing data packets to be forwarded by the network switch; at least one network switch port having a predetermined data rate for receiving data packets from network nodes and transmitting data packets to said network nodes; a data packet transmission controller associated with the at least one network switch port for controlling the transmission of data packets between the external memory and the at least one network switch port; an external memory controller; a state machine within the data packet transmission controller for receiving predetermined information from the external memory controller concerning the data rate of one of data packets being transmitted from the at least one network switch port and data packets being received by the at least one network switch port, and the state machine issuing a command signal based on the predetermined information; and data path logic within the data packet transmission controller for receiving the command signal and configured to control transmission of data packets based on the received command signal, the data path logic also configured to scale a data path for transmission of data packets between the at least one network switch port and the external memory based on the predetermined data rate of the network switch port.