Patent ID: 6895024

Claim:
A switching system for packets comprising: a first switch for switching packets having a primary receive port and a secondary receive port; and a second switch for switching the packets connected to the first switch, said second switch having n receive ports, where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer; m transmit ports, where m is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer, said transmit ports decoupled from said receive ports; a connecting mechanism that includes a multicast mechanism which sends the packets out a primary transmit port of the m transmit ports to the primary receive port of the first switch to define a primary link, and simultaneously sends the packets out a secondary transmit port of the m transmit ports to a secondary receive port of the first switch to define a redundant link to the primary link so that if there is a failure of the primary link to provide the packets to the first switch, the packets are received by the first switch through the redundant link, said first switch having a mechanism for only accepting the packets from the primary path unless the primary link has failed, in which case the packets are received by the first switch through the redundant link.