Patent ID: 6282171
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A system for sending ATM cells comprising:an ATM network along which ATM cells travel;source nodes connected to the ATM network which produce packets having cells and transmit the cells on the ATM network;I input switches connected to the ATM network, where I is greater than or equal to 1 and is an integer, which receive cells transmitted by the source nodes;M intermediate switches connected to the ATM network, where M is greater than or equal to 1, which receive signals from the ATM network transmitted by at least one input switch, said intermediate switch discarding cells only of a same packet when a predetermined event occurs, each intermediate switch reviews each cell of a packet it receives for an end-of-packet identifier which indicates the cell is an end of packet cell if the identifier is present, and stores in a memory the VP and VC of a next cell following the end of packet cell as a VP and VC set and discards the next cell after the predetermined event occurs but does not discard cells of a packet received by the intermediate switch before the end of packet cell is received after the predetermined event occurs, each cell of each packet has a unique VP and VC and the intermediate switch includes a VC discard table which supports a VP and VC set of each packet which is to be discarded, the intermediate switch has a controller which reviews the VP and VC of each cell which the intermediate switch receives with each VP and VC set in the VC discard table and discards the cell if its VP and VC match any VP and VC set in the VC discard table, said controller connected to the VC discard table, the controller of the intermediate switch reviews each cell it receives for an end-of-packet identifier which indicates the cell is an end of packet cell if the identifier is present, and stores in a memory the VP and VC of a next cell following the end of packet cell as a VP and VC set and discards the next cell, the VC discard table includes a discard counter associated with each VP and VC set which counts how many cells have been discarded by the intermediate switch with the associated VP and VC set;destination nodes connected to the ATM network which receives non-discarded ATM cells from the intermediate switch; andO output stage switches connected to the ATM network, where O is greater than or equal to 1 and is an integer, which receive ATM cells from the ATM network transmitted by the intermediate switch and which transmits cells to the ATM network to be sent to a destination node.