Enterprise switching device and method

A system of switches operatively coupled to transport media for transmitting and receiving data streams, said system of switches comprising:

• (a) a fabric switching network;
• (b) a plurality of switching devices, each comprising:
• (i) an aggregator comprising:
• (a) an external switch port operatively coupled to the fabric switching network;
• (b) a demultiplexer, operatively coupled to the external switch port, for generating a plurality of intermediate data streams from an ingress data stream comprising a plurality of protocol data units;
• and
• (c) a multiplexer, operatively coupled to the external switch port;
• (ii) a plurality of intermediate ports operatively coupled to the aggregator;
• and
• (iii) a plurality of classification devices, each classification device comprising:
• (a) an ingress processor, operatively coupled to the plurality of intermediate ports, comprising flow resolution logic and a queue manager;
• and
• (b) an egress processor, operatively coupled to the fabric switching network, for receiving an egress data stream;
• (c) a program manager, operatively coupled to each switching device, for acquiring flow statistics across intermediate ports;
• wherein the intermediate ports to which protocol data units are directed are dynamically assign in order to substantially balance load imbalance between the intermediate ports of each switching device.

A method of processing an ingress data stream at wire speed with a switching device comprising a plurality of classification devices operating at less than wire speed;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• (a) receiving an ingress data stream at an external port;
• (b) demultiplexing the data stream into a plurality of intermediate ingress data streams;
• (c) parsing the plurality of intermediate ingress data streams into a plurality of protocol data units;
• (d) processing each protocol data unit for purposes of either switching or routing the protocol data unit;
• and
• (e) outputting protocol data units to an internal port.

The method of claim 42, wherein the step of transmitting at least one protocol data unit to an egress switching device further includes the steps of:

• (a) looking up a base queue identification for each protocol data unit;
• (b) computing a queue identification offset;
• and
• (c) generating an effective queue identification from the base queue identification and queue identification offset.

A switching device operatively connected to a transport medium, to a fabric switching network including a plurality of switch ports;

• the switching device comprising:
• (a) an aggregator comprising a demultiplexer and an external switch port operatively coupled to the transport medium;
• wherein the demultiplexer receives an ingress data stream comprising a plurality of protocol data units at the external switch port, and generates a plurality of intermediate data streams;
• (b) a plurality of intermediate ports, operatively coupled to the aggregator, for receiving the plurality of intermediate data streams;
• and
• (c) a plurality of ingress packet processing resources, operatively coupled to the plurality of intermediate ports and fabric switching network, for processing protocol data unit distributed to the fabric switching network.

A method of processing an ingress data stream at wire speed with a device comprising a plurality of ingress packet processing resources operating at less than wire speed;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• (a) receiving an ingress data stream from an external port operative coupled to a transport medium;
• (b) demultiplexing the data stream into a plurality of intermediate ingress data streams;
• (c) parsing the plurality of intermediate ingress data streams into a plurality of protocol data units;
• (d) processing each protocol data unit in accordance with the ingress packet processing resources;
• and
• (e) outputting protocol data units to an internal port.