초록 ▼

Access to a switching network of an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch is scheduled with a reservation ring that automatically determines the number of channels populating the switching network during a switch cycle. The reservation ring is a distributed arbiter that resolves conflicts arising

Access to a switching network of an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch is scheduled with a reservation ring that automatically determines the number of channels populating the switching network during a switch cycle. The reservation ring is a distributed arbiter that resolves conflicts arising among a plurality of input channels for access to a plurality of output channels of the switching network. Each input channel populating the switching network is coupled to an arbitration unit of the reservation ring. The arbitration units on the ring determine when an arbitration cycle is complete for each of the arbitration units populating the ring. This enables the number of channels populating the switching network to increase or decrease without having to reconfigure the reservation ring.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] A switch, comprising:a switching network, with I input channels and J output channels, having N of the I input channels populated to receive data packets, where N is an integer less I; the N input channels populated to receive data packets being configured to route fixed sized data

[ We claim:] [1.] A switch, comprising:a switching network, with I input channels and J output channels, having N of the I input channels populated to receive data packets, where N is an integer less I; the N input channels populated to receive data packets being configured to route fixed sized data packets to N of J output channels each switch cycle of said switching network; andan arbitration ring for resolving conflicts between certain of the N input channels contending for identical output channels of said switching network; said arbitration ring having an arbitration unit coupled to each of the N input channels populated to receive data packets;wherein said arbitration ring further comprises means for determining said arbitration ring is partially populated with N arbitration units; said determining means determining when an arbitration cvcle, for the N arbitration units populating said arbitration ring, completes to permit arbitration conflicts to be resolved in fewer than I arbitration stages.