Patent ID: 8521023

Claim:
A communication network having a hierarchy of dimensions, comprising: a plurality of computing nodes, arranged in a logical array comprising a plurality of rows and columns; a plurality of communication cables linking each adjacent pair of nodes in each row and each column, wherein each communication cable comprises: i. a plurality of conduits, wherein each conduit has an upstream end and a downstream end; ii. a conduit group comprising conduits that each connect the computing node at the upstream end with other computing nodes in the row or column and pass-through conduits connecting other computing nodes in the row or column with each other; and iii. a plurality of vertical conduit groups, each comprising conduits connecting the computing nodes in a row to a computing node in a column, and wherein each computing node passively redirects conduits in vertical conduit groups to the appropriate computing node in a target column, so that a direct physical connection exists between every pair of computing nodes in the array.