Patent ID: 6535513
Filing Date: 2003-03-18
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
A switch apparatus integrated in a single switching platform comprising:a) a switching fabric to switch traffic between a plurality of broadband switching ports, each of the switching ports presenting an ATM User Network Interface (UNI); b) a local module coupled to one of the plurality broadband switching ports, the local module to: 1) provide a first stream of ATM cells to the other one of the broadband switching ports, the first stream of ATM cells formed by the local module by aggregating a first plurality of lesser ATM cell streams that arise from a plurality of narrowband line cards; 2) receive a second stream of ATM cells from the other one of the broadband switching ports, the second stream of ATM cells decomposed by the local module into a second plurality of lesser ATM cell streams that are directed to the plurality of narrowband line cards; the local module comprising a pair of shared buses, each of the shared buses being coupled to the plurality of narrowband line cards, the pair of shared buses to: 1) carry the first plurality of lesser ATM cell streams toward the broadband switching port; 2) carry the second plurality of lesser ATM cell streams toward the plurality of narrowband line cards; and c) a narrowband line card that is a member of the plurality of narrowband line cards, the narrowband line card to handle a first portion of the first plurality of lesser ATM cell streams, the narrowband linecard to handle a second portion of the second plurality of lesser ATM cell streams, the narrowband line card comprising: 1) a first plurality of VC queues, each VC queue of the first plurality of VC queues to store ATM cells that are part of the first portion and that belong to the same flow; 2) a second plurality of VC queues, each VC queue of the second plurality of VC queues to store ATM cells that are part of the second portion and that belong to the same flow; 3) a third shared bus over which: a) traffic received from a plurality of narrowband interfaces is directed, the received traffic directed to the first plurality of VC queues and b) traffic to be transmitted over the plurality of narrowband interfaces is directed, the traffic to be transmitted sourced from the second plurality of VC queue.