Patent ID: 7957371

Claim:
A linearly expandable router, comprising: a first routing engine having input and output sides; a second routing engine having input and output sides; a third routing engine having input and output sides; a first discrete link, said first discrete link coupling said input side of said first routing engine to said input side of said second routing engine; a second discrete link, said second discrete link coupling said input side of said first routing engine to said input side of said third routing engine; and a third discrete link, said third discrete link coupling said input side of said second routing engine to said input side of said third routing engine; wherein data flows in to the input sides of the first, second, and third routing engines and data flows out from the output sides of the first, second, and third routing engines, wherein the linearly expandable router is expanded by adding an additional routing engine having an input and output sides and by linking the input side of the additional routing engine to the input sides of the first, second, and third routing engines, wherein said first, second and third routing engines each have N inputs to said input side thereof and M outputs from said output side thereof, and wherein said linearly expandable router formed from said first, second and third routing engines having 3N inputs and 3M outputs.