System and method for tolerating data link faults in a packet communications switch fabric

A switch fabric system for tolerating data line faults in packet communications, the system comprising:

• a plurality of port cards, each port card including:
• a plurality of ports to communicate information packets, including a plurality of cells, with a network;
• a plurality of backplane data links to serially transfer packets between port cards on connected ingress/egress data links;
• at least one priority queue (PQ) having a control port to accept faulty packet error messages, to send transfer messages reselecting intra-port card connections between ports and the backplane data links in response to error messages, and to communicate messages controlling the inter-port card transfer of packets on the backplane data links, and;
• at least one crossbar having a first plurality of crossbar input ports connected to ingress backplane data links, a first plurality of crossbar output ports connected to egress backplane data links, and a control input operatively connected to accept control signals from the PQ, the crossbar having an interface fixedly connected, and selectively enabled to a backplane data link from each port card for selectively connecting crossbar inputs and crossbar outputs, to serially transfer packets in response to the PQ control signals, the crossbar monitoring cells received on backplane data links and sending an error message to a PQ in response to the received cells on a backplane data link exceeding an error threshold;
• wherein the PQs reselect backplane data links in response to receiving the error messages from the crossbars;
• the system further comprising:
• a backplane including a fourth plurality of switchplane banks, each switchplane bank including a seventh plurality of switchplanes, each switchplane including a fifth plurality of switch cards, each switch card including a third plurality of crossbars.