US 5,604,735 A · High speed network switch

Abstract

The present invention provides an improvement in circuit switching for a network comprising a switching apparatus including a plurality of transceivers for interfacing directly with a like plurality of nodes. Each of the transceivers has a receive and transmit through port for passing data to and from nodes. Transmitted data includes a connect/disconnect sequence, a first wait sequence, and user data. The switching apparatus further includes circuitry for isolating each transceiver so as to loop back data when not in use and a switching matrix for directly connecting any pair of transceivers. Each of the transceivers includes circuitry for detecting a connect and disconnect sequence and an interface for connection to a serial asynchronous receiver to derive node requests, routing data, priority and other information from the connect sequence detected at the transceiver. Derived switch configuration requests are processed by a node route control state machine, with each node route control state machine integrated in a bus architecture for configuring the matrix switch. A bus arbitration state machine controls the bus architecture servicing bus requests and providing bus grants for the transfer of routing information to switch control logic and a command sequencer. The requesting node may set a priority for a connection request, queue a connection request or alternatively request data from the switch controller micro-controller core.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A high speed network switch comprising:

a plurality of transceivers for interfacing directly with a like plurality of nodes, each of said transceivers having a receive and transmit through port for passing data to and from said nodes, said data comprising an encoded connect sequence, a first wait sequence, and user data;
isolation means for initializing each transceiver for looping back said data;
switching means for directly connecting any pair of said transceivers;
and
a controller for establishing and prioritizing matrix connections and disconnections, said controller decoding said connect sequence and scheduling said switching means connections, such that a requesting node sequentially transmits said encoded connect sequence followed by said user data to said network switch assuming node-to-node communication has been established with a destination node, said isolation means looping said user data back to said requesting node when said destination node is unavailable.

2 more elements

A method for establishing node-to-node communication in a network, said network having a plurality of nodes directly connected to a network switch having a like plurality of transceivers, a switch matrix, a controller having a like plurality of node state machines, and a blind interrogation data format including an encoded connect sequence, a first wait sequence, user data and a disconnect sequence, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) initializing said switch matrix to loop-back transmissions for each transceiver;
(b) selecting ones of said nodes for association in a hunt group;
(c) initiating a first communication link between a requesting node and a destination node, said requesting node transmitting an encoded connect sequence, a first wait sequence and user data to a first transceiver of said network switch;
(d) decoding said encoded connect sequence received by said first transceiver to derive destination and route requestor data;
(e) coupling said derived destination and route requestor data to an associated node state machine in said controller, said associated node state machine placing said destination and route requestor data on a data bus;
(e) snooping on said data bus by each of said plurality of node state machines to determine if said destination node corresponds to their associated node,
(f) placing an authentication word on said data bus by said state machine associated with said destination node upon the availability of said destination node;
(g) placing a hunt group request signal including a hunt group identification tag on said data bus if said destination node is unavailable and said destination node is in said hunt group;
(h) issuing a service request signal responsive to said hunt group request signal by all available members of said hunt group;
(I) arbitrating between said available hunt group members and selecting one of said available hunt group members to service said first communication link;
(j) placing an authentication word on said data bus by said selected one of said hunt group members indicating route requestor data and destination data, said destination data including an identification tag for said selected one of said hunt group members;
(k) configuring said switch matrix to make said first communication link based on said destination and route requestor data when said authentication word has been placed on said data bus;
and
(l) looping said user data back to said requesting node when said destination node and all hunt group members are unavailable.

11 more elements

A high speed network switch comprising:

a plurality of transceivers for interfacing directly with a like plurality of nodes, each of said transceivers having a receive and transmit through port for passing data to and from said nodes and said network, said data comprising an encoded connect sequence, a first wait sequence, user data and a disconnect sequence, each of said transceivers having a serial asynchronous receiver for decoding said encoded connect sequence and outputting a routing information word;
a switch matrix for directly routing data between said transceivers, said switch matrix comprising a switch matrix controller, a plurality of ports, and means for switching data between said ports, each of said transceivers coupled to one of said plurality of ports of said switch matrix, said switch matrix for cross coupling receive and transmit through ports for any pair of transceivers of said network switch;
a controller for establishing and prioritizing matrix connections and disconnections, said controller comprising
(a) a like plurality of node route state machines each coupled to one of said transceivers and receiving said routing information word;
(b) a data bus connecting each of said node route state machines;
(c) a bus arbiter for prioritizing access requests from each of said node route state machines for access to said data bus, said bus arbiter granting control of said data bus to a single authorized node route state machine at a time;
(d) means for placing a routing command including a destination node ID on said data bus by said authorized node route state machine;
(e) snooping means in each of said node route state machines for determining if said routing command on said data bus is directed to their associated node, and if their associated node is available for connection;
(f) authentication means in each of said node route state machines to place an authentication word on said data bus if said routing command is directed to said associated node and said associated node is available;
(g) a state machine engine for processing said routing commands and authentication words to update a routing table and issue switch configuration commands;
and
(I) a sequence generator responsive to said routing commands for formatting instructions to be passed to said switch matrix controller for configuring said switch matrix;
and
signals having a blind interrogation data format transmitted by said nodes to said transceivers for establishing node-to-node communication whereby a requesting node sequentially transmits said encoded connect sequence and user data assuming said node-to-node communication has been established, said switch matrix looping said user data back to said requesting node when said destination node is unavailable.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

High speed network switch

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High speed network switch

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17