Patent ID: 6920135

Claim:
A switching system configured to switch packets of information between ports, each packet comprising a header, each header comprising a destination port address, the switching system comprising: a plurality of port processors, each port processor being configured to receive and transmit packets of information to and from a line card coupled to each port processor, each port processor being further configured to buffer a plurality of incoming packets from a line card; a scheduler configured to receive the headers of incoming packets from the port processors, the scheduler being further configured to resolve contentions between headers with destination port addresses that are at least partially similar, the scheduler being further configured to send a request grant to each port processor that sent a header which (a) did not have destination port address that is at least partially similar with destination port addresses of other headers or (b) had a priority level higher than other headers with destination port addresses that are at least partially similar; and a switch fabric configured to receive incoming packets from the port processors as specified by the request grants from the scheduler and transmit the packets to the port processors as specified by the destination port addresses of the packets, wherein each port processor is configured to transmit packets from the switch fabric to a line card; wherein the scheduler comprises a plurality of randomizers, each randomizer configured to receive a plurality of headers from a plurality of port processors, each randomizer comprising: a memory storing a plurality of randomization permutations; a pointer coupled to the memory, the pointer being configured to select one randomization permutation at a time; and a routing crossbar coupled to the memory, the routing crossbar being configured to route sets of headers to a plurality of routing modules coupled to the randomizer according to a randomization permutation selected by the pointer.