Patent ID: 8824496

Claim:
A method for arbitration in an arbitration domain, comprising: receiving, by each node of a plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain, an arbitration request from each sending node of the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain, wherein the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain each use a shared data channel to send data to a set of receiving nodes, wherein the arbitration request to each receiving node of the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain is transmitted via a first arbitration waveguide of an arbitration network, wherein the arbitration domain comprises the plurality of nodes that are configured to transmit on the shared data channel, and wherein each sending node is a node in the plurality of nodes having data to transmit on the shared data channel; by each node of the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain, independently assigning a time slot to each sending node, wherein the time slot is assigned according to a plurality of priorities pre-assigned to the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain; for each time slot: sending, from the arbitration domain, a switch request to a receiving node designated by the sending node, wherein the receiving node is in the set of receiving nodes, wherein the switch request is transmitted via a second arbitration waveguide of the arbitration network; wherein the switch request is sent by a column node of the plurality of nodes in the arbitration domain, and wherein the column node is assigned to the column connected to the receiving node; and sending, by the sending node, data to the receiving node via the shared data channel during the time slot.