Multicast packet routing via crossbar bypass paths

摘要

An approach is described for routing data to a plurality of output terminals via a integrated switch router including a crossbar switch having both a crossbar and a plurality of crossbar bypass lines. Whereas the crossbar may connect each input of the crossbar switch to each output of the crossbar switch, each of the plurality of crossbar bypass lines may connect a single input of the crossbar switch to a corresponding single output of the crossbar switch. According to such approach, a replicated copy of a multicast packet may be forwarded to an output terminal via a crossbar bypass line in parallel with other data forwarded via the crossbar, thus increasing integrated switch router bandwidth.

主权项

1. A method of routing data to a plurality of output terminals via an integrated switch router, wherein the integrated switch router comprises a broadcast network, a crossbar switch having a crossbar and a plurality of crossbar bypass lines, and a plurality of multicast replication buffers communicatively connected to the broadcast network, wherein each of the plurality of multicast replication buffers respectively corresponds to one of the plurality of crossbar bypass lines, and wherein the method comprises:
receiving a multicast packet from an input terminal; forwarding a payload of the multicast packet through the broadcast network; forwarding each header of the multicast packet through the broadcast network; and forwarding, by operation of one or more processors, replicated copies of the multicast packet through the crossbar switch to the plurality of output terminals, wherein at least one of the replicated copies of the multicast packet is transmitted from a first multicast replication buffer of the plurality of multicast replication buffers to a first output terminal of the plurality of output terminals via a first crossbar bypass line of the plurality of crossbar bypass lines that corresponds to the first multicast replication buffer.