Method and system for switching using an arbitrator

A method for switching traffic from N sources to M destinations, where M and N are each an integer greater than or equal to 2, comprising the steps of:

• receiving traffic from the N sources at input ports of K segments, where K is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer, each segment receiving traffic from R of the N sources where 1<=R<N and is an integer;
• and sending traffic from any segment to a destination through output port of an arbitrator which connects to each segment and which receives information from the destinations regarding if they can receive data or not, and from the K segments about the traffic they have for different destinations.

An arbitrator which receives information from M destinations regarding if they can receive data or not arising from N sources, and from K segments about the traffic they have for different destinations arising from the N sources, each segment having input ports having a line rate L1, where K and M and N are each an integer greater than or equal to 2, comprising:

• output ports each having a line rate L2 and a combination of an input port and output port together form a queue/dequeue node having a bandwidth of N/K*L1+M*L2;
• and
• an arbitrator controller that selects which destination is to receive traffic from a corresponding source and allows the traffic to flow through an output port to the destination.