Patent ID: 7983192

Claim:
A switch device comprising: first switching circuitry; a plurality of ports to exchange data, the plurality of ports including a first set of ports switchably interconnected with one another by the first switching circuitry, wherein the switch device supports operation of a set of interconnected ports including the first set of ports as a first set of non-blocked ports, wherein for any given set of non-blocked ports, each port of the set of non-blocked ports is switchably interconnected with each other port of the set of non-blocked ports, and all switching between ports of the set of non-blocked ports is supported, provided a total capacity of all ports of the set of non-blocked ports to receive data is not exceeded; second switching circuitry, wherein the first switching circuitry and the second switching circuitry are not interconnected with one another in the switch device; a stacking module interface switchably interconnected with the first set of ports; and a configuration module to cause the switch device to have a first configuration for operation when a first plug-in stacking module (PISM) is coupled to the stacking module interface to enable stacking of the switch device, the first PISM including a first switch interface connector and a data channel, wherein terminal points of the data channel are each coupled directly to the first switch interface connector, and wherein, when the first PISM is coupled to the switch device, the data channel to interconnect the first switching circuitry with the second switching circuitry, the configuration module further to cause the switch device to have a second configuration for operation when a second PISM is coupled to the stacking module interface to enable stacking of the switch device, the second PISM including a second switch interface connector, a stacking interface and crossbar switch circuitry coupling the second switch interface connector with the stacking interface, wherein causing the switch device to have the first configuration or the second configuration is to increase a total number of ports of the first set of non-blocked ports.