Internet switch router

An internet router for coupling to a plurality of internet links, the router receiving data packets from the internet links, analyzing header information in the data packets at inputs to the router to determine output internet links from said router, and forwarding the data packets on the output internet links, the improvement wherein the router comprises a fabric of fabric links joined by fabric routers, the number of fabric links to each fabric router being substantially less than the number of internet links served by the internet router, the fabric links and routers providing data communication between internet links through plural hops through the fabric using a routing protocol other than the internet protocol by which information associated with each packet is used at each fabric router to determine the next hop in the fabric, each fabric router comprising a plurality of buffers for defining virtual channels which share fabric links, each virtual channel associated with a set of network outputs, the virtual channels associated with a network output and fabric links forming virtual networks between internet router inputs and outputs in which congestion in one virtual network is substantially nonblocking to packets flowing through other virtual networks.

A method of routing data packets between internet links comprising:

• analyzing header information in the data packets at inputs to the router to determine output internet links from said router;
• and
• routing the data packets through a multihop fabric network of fabric routers to the output internet links using a routing protocol other than the internet protocol by which information associated with each packet is used at each fabric router to determine the next hop in the fabric, each fabric router comprising a plurality of buffers for defining virtual channels which share fabric links, each associated with a set of network outputs, the virtual channels associated with a network output and fabric links forming virtual networks between internet router inputs and outputs in which congestion in one virtual networks is substantially nonblocking to packets flowing through other virtual networks.

A network comprising a plurality of fabric routers connected by fabric links, each fabric router comprising a plurality of buffers for defining virtual channels which share fabric links, each virtual channel associated with a set of network outputs, the virtual channels associated with a network output and fabric links forming virtual networks between network inputs and outputs, where each virtual network is associated with the set of network outputs and each virtual channel buffer carries traffic to only one network output, congestion in one virtual network being substantially nonblocking to packets flowing through other virtual networks.