Patent ID: 6487211
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A data packet switching apparatus for switching a data packet, arriving from a plurality of incoming virtual connections in a form of logically multiplexed cells, to a predesignated one of a plurality of outgoing virtual connections, said apparatus comprising:a required buffer amount calculation circuit for calculating a buffer amount required to store said data packet from a packet length contained in cell data of an incoming cell; a comparator circuit for comparing said required buffer amount with a remaining buffer amount; a data discard circuit for discarding the cell data belonging to said data packet if, as the result of the comparison, said required buffer amount is larger than said remaining buffer amount; a data packet assembling circuit for storing cell data in a buffer for each virtual connection, and for assembling said cell data into a data packet; an outgoing virtual connection resolving section for determining an outgoing virtual connection based on a data packet identifier contained in said cell data; and a packet transmission circuit for transmitting said assembled data packet by appending thereto an identifier of said determined outgoing virtual connection.