Switch hardware and architecture for a computer network

A computer network non-ported switch device which is adapted to be operable as a switch system in conjunction with at least one discrete ported switch device;

• the non-ported switch device comprising:
• a housing containing:
• an ASIC providing a switching system within the non-ported switch device;
• a plurality of extender ports communicating with the ASIC and being connectable to one or more ported or non-ported switch devices, whereby the extender ports operate on a discrete protocol from the standard ports of a ported switch device;
• whereby the ASIC is associated with the provision of identification communication via the extender ports to enable the ASIC to take part in the determination of the operable connection or absence of connection of the extender ports to one or more ported or non-ported switch devices.

A computer network system comprising:

• a switch system including at least one ported switch device and at least one non-ported switch device connected to each other;
• whereby the ported switch device is adapted to be operable either as a switch system in an independent standalone mode or in conjunction with another ported switch device or the non-ported switch device;
• and whereby the non-ported switch device is adapted to be operable in conjunction with the ported switch device;
• the ported switch device including:
• a housing containing:
• a ported device ASIC creating a switching system within the ported switch device;
• a plurality of standard ports communicating with the ported device ASIC and being connectable to one or more external computer network devices;
• a plurality of extender ports communicating with the ported device ASIC and being adapted to be connectable in one or more of to themselves in loopback fashion or to one or more ported or non-ported switch devices, whereby the extender ports operate on a discrete protocol from the standard ports;
• the non-ported switch device including:
• a housing containing:
• a non-ported device ASIC creating a switching system within the non-ported switch device;
• a plurality of extender ports communicating with the non-ported device ASIC and being connectable to one or more ported or non-ported switch devices, whereby the extender ports operate on a discrete protocol from the standard ports of the ported switch device;
• whereby the ported switch device is connected to the non-ported switch device via the respective extender ports thereof;
• whereby the respective ported and non-ported ASICS are associated with the provision of identification communication via the extender ports to enable the determination of the operable connection or absence of connection of the extender ports of the ported and non-ported switch devices.

A method of managing a switch system in a computer network, the switch system containing one or more ported switch devices and zero or more non-ported switch devices, the method comprising:

• discovering one or more ported or non-ported switch devices via any connections extant therebetween;
• and
• operating the switch system;
• wherein the operating of the switch system includes one of operating one of the one or more ported switch devices in an independent standalone mode and operating the one or more ported switch devices in conjunction with the zero or more non-ported switch devices.