Patent ID: 8830992

Claim:
A fabric card, comprising: at least one fabric card chip; at least two fabric card connector groups, wherein each fabric card connector group comprises at least two fabric card connectors, wherein the number of the fabric card chip(s) is less than the number of the at least two fabric card connector groups, wherein each fabric card chip connects to all fabric card connectors, wherein all fabric card connectors that connect to the fabric card chip exchange data using the fabric card chip, wherein one of the fabric card connectors is configured to exchange data only with other fabric card connectors in the same fabric card connector group to which the fabric card connector belongs, wherein the fabric card comprises one main card and at least one connection card, wherein the number of the at least two fabric card connector groups minus the number of the at least one connection card equals one, wherein the at least one fabric card chip resides on the main card, wherein one fabric card connector group of the at least two fabric card connector groups is arranged on the main card, wherein one fabric card connector group of the at least two fabric card connector groups is arranged on each connection card of the at least one connection card, wherein at least two fabric card slots and at least two line card slots are arranged on a backplane, wherein each fabric card socket in each fabric card slot separately connects to one line card socket in different line card slots, wherein each line card socket in each line card slot connects to one fabric card socket in different fabric card slots, wherein each fabric card connector group on each fabric card separately corresponds to one fabric card slot on the backplane, wherein at least two fabric card connectors in each fabric card connector group connect to at least two fabric card sockets in a fabric card slot, which corresponds to the fabric card connector group to which the at least two fabric card connectors belongs in one-to-one correspondence, wherein each line card separately corresponds to one line card slot on the backplane, and wherein at least two line card connectors in each line card connect to at least two line card sockets in a line card slot, which corresponds to the line card to which the at least two line card connectors belongs in one-to-one correspondence.