Patent ID: 6877056

Claim:
A computer system comprising: a plurality of client devices including a memory and an active device; a data network configured to transmit data packets between the plurality of client devices; an address network configured to transmit address packets between the plurality of client devices and including a plurality of address switches, wherein the address network implements a broadcast virtual network and a non-broadcast virtual network; and a coherency mode storage unit coupled to the address network and configured to store an indication to control whether a given address packet is transmitted through the address network in a point-to-point mode or a broadcast mode, wherein address packets transmitted in the broadcast mode are transmitted in the broadcast virtual network; wherein a first address switch of the plurality of address switches is configured to select an address packet to output during each of a plurality of arbitration cycles and to prioritize selection of address packets in the broadcast virtual network over selection of address packets in the non-broadcast virtual network during a first portion of the arbitration cycles.