Patent ID: 6044078
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of exchanging information of payload field of ATM cells, comprising:receiving, at each of a plurality of input ports of an ATM switch, ATM cells to be transferred out to a particular destination;copying, by the ATM switch, all received ATM cells that are capable of being outputted to more than one output port of the ATM switch based on a current switch connectivity between the respective input ports and the respective output ports of the ATM switch;dividing, by a position switch coupled to the ATM switch, payload fields of ATM cells received from the ATM switch into units of 8.times.N bits; andcombining, by the position switch which includes a plurality of buffer memories which are respectively coupled on an input side to the plurality of output ports of the ATM switch and which are respectively coupled on an output side to a plurality of outputs ports of the position switch, the divided payload fields of a plurality of ATM cells to form a payload field for an ATM cell for transmission,wherein the ATM cell for transmission comprises a single header portion that is contiguous and separate from the combined payload fields that collectively make up a data portion of the ATM cell for transmission, andwherein, when there is determined to be at least one of the divided payload fields of an ATM cell transferred from the ATM switch to one of the buffer memories of the position switch that is not destined to be output through the corresponding one of the output ports coupled to the one of the buffer memories, the at least one of the divided payload fields is masked and not output through the one of the output ports.