Patent ID: 7082139

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a set of input ports to receive data packets; a set of sink ports in communication with said set of input ports to receive and forward said data packets, and a set of data rings in communication with said set of input ports and said set of sink ports, wherein one or more of the sink ports in said set of sink ports concurrently receives a plurality of data packets from two or more of the data rings, wherein a first sink port in said set of sink ports receives a first data packet in said plurality of data packets and a second data packet in said plurality of data packets, wherein a first input port in said set of input ports sources said first data packet and a second input port in said set of input ports sources at least a portion of said second data packet during a time when said first input port sources said first data packet, wherein said first sink port receives said at least a portion of said second data packet during a time said first sink port receives said first data packet, and wherein said first sink port includes: a ring interface coupled to said set of data rings to receive data from data packets; a storage buffer coupled to said ring interface to receive and store said data; and an output port coupled to said storage buffer to receive said data from said storage buffer and transmit said data on a communications link.