Patent ID: 8363652

Claim:
An interconnection switch for transmitting electronic data between a first network communicating at a bit rate R 1 and a second network communicating at a bit rate R 2 , the interconnection switch comprising: (a) a controller; and (b) a switching/routing unit coupled to the controller, the switching/routing unit coupled to: (i) a first plurality of lanes, each lane communicatively coupled to one of a plurality of M×K NEs of the first network and communicating at a bit rate R 0 , wherein the number of lanes coupled to each NE of the plurality of M×K NEs equals (R 1 /R 0 ); and (ii) a second plurality of lanes, each lane communicatively coupled to one of a plurality of N×K transceivers and communicating at the bit rate R 0 , wherein the number of lanes coupled to each transceiver of the plurality of N×K transceivers equals (R 2 /R 0 ); (iii) wherein the plurality of N×K transceivers is communicatively coupled to the second network and wherein the transceivers communicate at the bit rate R 2 ; (c) wherein the controller is structured to configure the switching/routing unit to interconnect the lanes of the first plurality of lanes with the lanes of the second plurality of lanes; and (d) wherein M, N, and K are positive integers, M>N, M/N is not an integer, the ratio R 2 :R 1 equals the ratio M:N, and R 0 is a common factor of R 1 and R 2 .