Patent ID: 7334071

Claim:
A packet routing switch that is adapted for use in communications network having a predefined communications protocol which specifies for protocol compliant devices, that completer packets of a split transaction are to use bus and device number addressing when routing back to a corresponding request originator, the switch being protocol-compliant, having a Non-Transparent Bridge (NtB) and further comprising: (a) two or more internal virtual buses where at least one of said internal virtual buses is a special bus that is coupled to the NtB and that is limited to having no more than a protocol-specified maximum number of addressable devices allowed per protocol compliant bus multiplied by ½ raised to a whole number power, K, thereby limiting a number of bits needed for uniquely addressing devices on said at least one special bus to fewer than a protocol-specified number of bits needed for uniquely addressing the protocol-specified maximum number of addressable devices allowed per protocol compliant bus.