Patent ID: 6891823

Claim:
A method of reallocating switching circuitry in a switching fabric to permit data transfer among a plurality of interface units each having a plurality of data ports, the switching fabric being partitionable into a plurality of switch planes such that each switch plane is assignable to transfer data associated with a data port of the plurality of interface units and each switch plane including multiple switching data communication links each being assignable to transfer data associated with one data port of one of the interface units, the method comprising: determining a number of interface units connected to the switching fabric; determining a number of switching data communication links in each switch plane; and if the number of interface units is less than the number of switching data communication links in each switch plane, for at least one of the plurality of switch planes, assigning a first data communication link in the switch plane to transfer data associated with a first data port of a first interface unit and assigning a second data communication link in the switch plane to transfer data associated with a second data port of the first interface unit.