Patent ID: 6999461
Filing Date: 2006-02-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for routing a packet through a packet switching network composed of a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes including a switching fabric with a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, and a plurality of line cards wherein each of the line cards contains an input module and an output module, the packet carrying a packet header containing the routing information and destined to traverse the network via a route which is determined by a sequence of k nodes, k≧1, wherein the first of the sequence of nodes is the ingress node through which the packet enters the network, the last of the sequence of nodes is the egress node through which the packet exits from the network, and wherein each of the nodes on the route has an active input module through which the packet enters the node and an active output module through which the packet exits from the node, the method comprising: at the active input module of the ingress node, at the active input module of the j-th node on the route, 1<j≦k, at the switching fabric of the j-th node on the route, 1≦j≦k, at the active output module of the j-th node on the route, 1≦j<k, transmitting each one of the cells to the (j+1)-th node on the route, and at the active output module of the egress node, reassembling the cells into the packet.