Multiservice switching system with distributed switch fabric

A switching method for use in a scalable communication system that forwards ingressing data signals to a multi-part switch fabric and obtains egressing data signals from the multiple parts of the multi-part switch fabric, with said ingressing data signals selectively routing to the switch fabric via an asynchronous interconnect layer, said method comprising:

• (a) for each of plural ones of the ingressing data signals that are to propagate via the asynchronous interconnect layer to a respective part of the multi-part switch fabric and then to a destination point, supplying a multi-bit first destination field that at least partially identifies the respective destination point, where the first multi-bit destination field is sufficiently large to identify at least 16 different destination points;
• (b) before forwarding the ingressing data signals via the asynchronous interconnect layer to respective parts of the multipart switch fabric, conducting a first bidding competition between subsets of the ingressing data signals that are vying to pass through a same first part of the multipart switch fabric to respective destination points so as to determine which of one or more smaller number of the competing data signals that are vying to pass through the same first part of the switch fabric will be allowed to have a passage request submitted on their behalf to the respective first part of the multi-part switch fabric layer;
• and
• (c) stuffing bid-winning ones of the passage requests as primary requests into respective asynchronous transmission cells for transmission via the asynchronous interconnect layer to respective, first competition-associated parts of the switch fabric, where each primary request includes the corresponding first multi-bit destination field of the corresponding, ingressing data signal.

A scalable communication system that forwards ingressing data signals to a multi-part switch fabric and obtains egressing data signals from the multiple parts of the multi-part switch fabric, with said ingressing data signals selectively routing to the switch fabric via an asynchronous interconnect layer, said system comprising:

• (a) request formulating means for forming, for each of plural ones of the ingressing data signals that are to propagate via the asynchronous interconnect layer to a respective part of the multi-part switch fabric and then to a destination point, a multi-bit first destination field that at least partially identifies the respective destination point, where the formed first multi-bit destination field is sufficiently large to identify at least 16 different destination points;
• (b) first bidding competition means for use before the forwarding of the ingressing data signals via the asynchronous interconnect layer to respective parts of the multipart switch fabric, the first bidding competition means conducting a first bidding competition between subsets of the ingressing data signals that are vying to pass through a same first part of the multipart switch fabric to respective destination points so as to determine which of one or more smaller number of the competing data signals that are vying to pass through the same first part of the switch fabric will be allowed to have a passage request submitted on their behalf to the respective first part of the multi-part switch fabric layer;
• and
• (c) request stuffing means for stuffing bid-winning ones of the passage requests as primary requests into respective asynchronous transmission cells for transmission via the asynchronous interconnect layer to respective, first competition-associated parts of the switch fabric, where each primary request includes the corresponding first multi-bit destination field of the corresponding, ingressing data signal.