Patent ID: 7821922

Claim:
A switching network, comprising: a plurality of sets of nodes; a network having: a plurality of pairs of switches, each one of the pairs of switches being coupled to a corresponding one of the sets of nodes, each one of the switches having a plurality of ports, one of such ports being a predetermined designated fault port; links interconnecting the ports of the plurality of switches; wherein the designated fault port of a first one of the switches in a first one of the pair of switches is coupled by a first one of the links to the designated fault port of a first one of the switches in a second one of the pair of switches and wherein the designated fault port of a second one of the switches in the first one of the pair of switches is coupled by a second one of the links to the designated fault port of a second one of the switches in the second one of the pair of switches; and wherein each one of the switches has a normal routing table and a fault routing table for routing packets from a source one of the nodes to a destination one of the nodes through the network according to the normal routing table and, upon such source one of the nodes detecting a fault in transmission of such packet, routing such packet to the predetermined designated fault port of such switch according to the fault routing table.