Method and apparatus for routing in a single tier switched network

摘要

A method and apparatus for more efficient routing of packets in a network is provided. The apparatus may include dynamic routing of packets or portions of packets which avoids congestion and blocking by making local decisions within the network. The apparatus may further include creating and updating routing tables which map switch outputs to available network output ports. Additionally the header of packets entering the network are processed prior to entry or as part of the entry to the network to produce a processed packet. The processed packets or portions of packets preferably include complete route information or a final destination address that enables rapid routing through the network without further processing of the packet header. One or more aspects of the inventions may be implemented in combination with other aspects of the invention to further improve network efficiency.

主权项

1. A network, comprising:
a source switch comprising at least one input and at least two outputs; a plurality of sink switches each comprising at least one input and at least one output; and an intermediate switch coupled between the source switch and the plurality of sink switches, the intermediate switch configured to
map at least one output of the intermediate switch to at least one accessible sink switch among the plurality of sink switches to generate an intermediate switch table; andshare the intermediate switch table with the source switch, wherein the source switch receives a packet and transmits a first portion of the packet to at least one of the plurality of sink switches via a first of the at least two outputs of the source switch and transmits a second portion of the packet to the at least one of the plurality of sink switches via a second of the at least two outputs of the source switch.