Patent ID: 8050265

Claim:
A method of switching data packets between an input and a plurality of outputs of a switching device, the switching device comprising a memory arranged to store a plurality of data structures, each data structure being associated with one of said outputs, the method comprising: receiving a first data packet at said input; storing said first data packet in a data structure associated with an output from which said first data packet is to be transmitted; receiving an ordered plurality of data packets; storing each of said plurality of data packets in one of said data structures; if said first data packet is intended to be transmitted from a plurality of said outputs, storing indication data in each of said data structures associated with an output from which said first data packet is to be transmitted, said first data packet being stored in only one of said data structures, said indication data comprising slave indication data, said slave indication data being stored in each data structure associated with an output from which said first data packet is to be transmitted except the data structure in which said first data packet is stored and said slave indication data being stored alongside one data packet stored in each data structure except the data structure in which said first data packet is stored, said one data packet in each data structure being received after said first data packet is stored, and before any other data packet is stored in the respective data structure; transmitting said first data packet from said data structure to the or each output from which the first data packet is to be transmitted.