Patent ID: 7724733

Claim:
An interconnection network for switching data packets having data and flow control information, said network comprising: a local packet switch element; a plurality of local input buffers connected to the local packet switch element for buffeting incoming ones of said data packets; a remote packet switch element; a plurality of remote input buffers connected to the remote packet switch element for buffeting said incoming data packets; data lines for interconnecting the local and the remote packet switch elements to the remote input buffers and the local input buffers, respectively; a local arbiter connected via control lines to each of the local input buffers; and a remote arbiter connected via control lines to each of the remote input buffers, wherein the local arbiter and the remote arbiter transmit said flow control information via the data lines and via the control lines, and wherein the local packet switch element provides flow control information corresponding to each of the local input buffers to the remote arbiter via the remote input buffers and the control lines connecting the remote arbiter to the remote input buffers, bypassing the remote packet switch element.