Method and apparatus for shared multi-bank memory in a packet switching system

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed that store sequential data units of a data packet received at an input port in contiguous banks of a buffer in a shared memory. Buffer memory utilization can be improved by storing multiple packets in a single buffer. For each buffer, a buffer usage count is stored that indicates the sum (over all packets represented in the buffer) of the number of output ports toward which each of the packets is destined. The buffer usage count provides a mechanism for determining when a buffer is free. The buffer usage count can also indicate a number of destination ports for a packet to perform a multicasting operation. Buffers can comprise one or more groups and each of the groups can comprise a plurality of banks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.