Dual optimality for different data rate backplane transfer

A method for switching data in a network comprising the steps of:

• receiving data at a first rate from the network at a first port card of a switch;
• receiving data at a second rate from the network at a second port card of the switch;
• sending data from the first port card to a fabric of the switch through a connection mechanism of the switch at a connection rate;
• separating the data received at the second rate at the second port card into streams of data that together equal the data received at the second port card;
• and
• sending concurrently at the connection rate to the fabric from the second port card the stream of data along the connection mechanism by mapping with the second port card the data received at the second rate onto the bus in 4 bit interleaved fashion, the connection rate equals the first rate and the second rate is equal to N times the first rate, where N is an integer equal to 4, and there are N streams.

A switch of a network for switching data comprising:

• a plurality of fabrics for switching the data;
• a connection mechanism connected to the fabrics for providing data to and from the fabrics;
• a first port card which receives data at a first rate from the network or sends data at the first rate to the network, the first port card connected to the connection mechanism to send data as stripes to or receive the data as stripes from each of the fabrics at a connection rate;
• and
• a second port card which receives data at a second rate from the network or sends data at the second rate to the network, the second port card connected to the connection mechanism to send data as stripes to or receive data as stripes from each of the fabrics at the connection rate, the second port card separating the data received at the second rate into the stripes of data that together equal the data received at the second port card that are sent concurrently as stripes at the connection rate to the fabrics and combine the data stripes received at the connection rate into data that is sent at the second rate to the network.

A method for switching data in a network comprising the steps of:

• receiving data at a first rate from the network at a first port card of a switch;
• receiving data at a second rate from the network at a second port card of the switch;
• sending data as stripes from the first port card to each of a plurality of fabrics of the switch through a connection mechanism of the switch at a connection rate;
• separating the data received at the second rate at the second port card into stripes of data that together equal the data received at the second port card;
• and
• sending concurrently at the connection rate to each of the fabrics from the second port card the stripes of data along the connection mechanism.