Patent ID: 7636358

Claim:
An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) telecommunication switch, comprising: a switch memory operable to store a plurality of queues including a first queue, a second queue, and a third queue; the first queue operable to store cells of a first traffic stream, the first traffic stream comprising a plurality of ATM cells; the second queue operable to store cells of a second traffic stream, the second traffic stream comprising a plurality of ATM cells; the third queue operable to store cells of a third traffic stream, the third traffic stream comprising a plurality of Digital Signal Zero (DS-0) traffic channels; and a switch controller operable to: receive a plurality of cells; for each of the received cells: remove protocol-specific header information from the cell; generate a cell identifier for the cell based on the protocol-specific header information, wherein the cell identifier is at least one bit shorter than the protocol-specific header information; insert the cell identifier in the cell; and identify a traffic stream associated with the cell, based on the cell identifier; queue cells associated with the first traffic stream in the first queue in an order that is based on order information received with the cells associated with the first traffic stream; switch the first traffic stream; queue cells associated with the second traffic stream in the second queue; read cells associated with the second traffic stream from the second queue in an order of transmission; add an order indicator to each of the cells associated with the second traffic stream; transmit the cells associated with the second traffic stream over multiple links to a first destination node; receive DS-0 traffic associated with the third traffic stream, the DS-0 traffic including a plurality of channel associate signaling (CAS) values, each CAS value specifying a hook-state of a telephony session associated with a particular DS-0 channel; segment the DS-0 traffic into AAL cells; queue the AAL cells associated with the third traffic stream in the third queue; read the AAL cells associated with the third traffic stream from the third queue in an order of transmission; and transmit the ALL cells associated with the third traffic stream over multiple links to a second destination node.