Patent ID: 7673070

Claim:
A telecommunications device for processing packet data received over a communications network, wherein the telecommunications device includes a plurality of data processors, the telecommunications device comprising: a plurality of control processors, each control processor configured to manage data routing paths between data processors in the plurality of data processors according to the corresponding physical locations of the data processors in the telecommunications device; and a plurality of logical nodes, wherein each logical node includes two or more data processors in the telecommunications device and is associated with a control processor in the plurality of control processors such that each control processor is coupled to a first data processor of its associated logical node and manages data routing paths within the logical node in relation to said first data processor; and a plurality of physical slots, wherein each physical slot is coupled to a data processor in the plurality of data processors; wherein a data routing path from a first physical slot location to a second physical slot location in the telecommunications device is mapped to a data routing path from a third physical slot location to a fourth physical slot location; and wherein each logical node is associated with a distinct network service provider and routes data for the network service provider using the one or more data processors included in the logical node according to the data routing paths.