Patent ID: 8792485

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a first access switch configured to be operatively coupled to a first port of a switch fabric by a first connection, the first access switch configured to be operatively coupled to a second port of the switch fabric by a dedicated data path including at least a portion of a second connection, a portion of a second access switch and a first portion of a third connection, the first access switch configured to send data to the first port via the first connection, the first access switch configured to send data to the second port via the dedicated data path such that no data sent from the first access switch to the second port of the switch fabric via the dedicated data path is modified or dropped at the second access switch, the dedicated data path being constant between the first access switch and the second port while the first access switch is operatively coupled to the second access switch by the second connection and while the second access switch is operatively coupled to the second port by a second portion of the third connection (1) mutually exclusive from the first portion of the third connection and (2) not included in the dedicated data path.