Patent ID: 6259693
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A network switch, enabling the selective switching and combining of data streams from a plurality of data sources, comprising:a switch fabric;combining circuitry for identifying whether data units from a plurality of first data streams have been received on respective inputs of said combining circuitry, for arbitrating among said plurality of first data streams if said plurality of first data streams have been so received, and for sequentially forwarding said data units from a single output of said combining circuitry to said switch fabric via a second data stream; andswitching circuitry for receiving, from said switch fabric, sequential data units on a single input of said switching circuitry, via a third data stream, and for forwarding each of said data units to a respective one of a plurality of fourth data streams via a respective output of said switching circuitry,wherein said combining circuitry further comprises a circuit for identifying one of said first data streams from which a data unit was least recently received at said combining circuitry, and for causing a data unit from said identified first data stream to be forwarded to said switch fabric via said second data stream.