Patent ID: 6967962

Claim:
A data network comprising: at least one crossbar, wherein each crossbar comprises N ports; a plurality N of devices each associated with and connected to one port of one of said crossbars; wherein each one port of one crossbar comprises: an input buffer for receiving messages from the device connected to its port and for sending said messages to the N−1 other ports of said one crossbar; a plurality N−1 of port output buffers, each corresponding to one of said N−1 other ports, wherein each of said plurality of N−1 of port output buffers receives said messages only from a corresponding input buffer corresponding to one of said N−1 other ports; a plurality N−1 of fullness sensors, each associated with one port output buffer, for measuring the fullness state of its associated port output buffer; shutoff means, connected to the fullness sensors associated with the port output buffers corresponding to said one port at said N−1 other ports, for, when said fullness state for one of said other ports is generally full, indicating to said device connected to said one port not to send data for the port which is now generally full.