Patent ID: 8774625

Claim:
A method for implementing a higher-radix switch topology on a lower-radix physical switch network, the method comprising: providing the lower-radix physical switch network comprising hybrid packet/circuit switches connected via links, the hybrid packet/circuit switches including at least one circuit switch and at least one packet switch optically coupled to the at least one circuit switch; configuring the hybrid packet/circuit switches to implement a first higher-radix switch topology on the physical switch network, wherein configuring the hybrid packet/circuit switches comprises configuring the hybrid packet/circuit switches with a number of hops based on a number of the hybrid packet/circuit switches and a radix of the hybrid packet/circuit switches; and reconfiguring the hybrid packet/circuit switches to implement a second, different higher-radix switch topology on the physical switch network, the reconfiguring comprising changing circuit routes of the at least one circuit switch, wherein each of the first and second higher-radix switch topologies has a higher radix than the lower-radix physical switch network.