Patent ID: 8184626

Claim:
A router, comprising: a plurality of subswitches connected in a n rows x p columns matrix, wherein each subswitch includes n inputs and p outputs, wherein both n and p are integers greater than one; a plurality of input ports; a plurality of output ports, wherein each output port includes a multiplexer and an arbiter for selecting data to be switched onto the output port via the multiplexer; a plurality of row busses, each row bus coupling one of the input ports to the p subswitches in the same row of the n x p matrix of subswitches, wherein each row bus receives data from one of the plurality of input ports and distributes the data to two or more of the plurality of subswitches in the same row of the n x p matrix; and a plurality of column channels, wherein each column channel connects one of the outputs of one of the subswitches to an input of one of the multiplexers of a subswitch in the same column of the n x p matrix; wherein each row bus includes a route selector, wherein the route selector includes a routing table which is used to select an output port for each of one or more packets and to route the packet through one of the row busses to the selected output port.