Patent ID: 7313146

Claim:
A system for servicing packet data transactions and input/output transactions within a processing device using common data paths, the system comprising: an input port that is operable to receive communications from a communicatively coupled processing device, the communications including packet data transactions and input/output transactions; an output port that is operable to transmit communications to a communicatively coupled processing device, the communications including packet data transactions and input/output transactions; a node controller communicatively coupled to a system bus of the processing device that is operable to service input/output transactions; a packet manager communicatively coupled to the system bus of the processing device that is operable to service packet data transactions; and a switching module communicatively coupled to the input port, the output port, the node controller, and the packet manager, wherein the switching module is operable to service the exchange of transaction cells among the input port, the output port, the node controller, and the packet manager, each transaction cell having a control tag and data and carrying all or a portion of a packet data transaction or an input/output transaction.