Branch exchange methods and apparatuses for switching telecommunication signals

A method for use in a branch exchange that is coupled to a first telecommunication connection and a second telecommunication connection, comprising:

• step for receiving data from the first telecommunication connection;
• step for transmitting the data via a time division multiplexed (TDM) data stream;
• step for transmitting control information pertaining to the TDM data stream;
• step for converting the TDM data stream along with the control information pertaining to the TDM data stream in a combined serial data stream, into a first plurality of data packets transmitted, in parallel, to a network interface controller (NIC), where the data packets include dummy information in a header of the data packet that allows the NIC to accept the data packet that would otherwise be discarded due to a bad frame check sequence of the data packet;
• step for depacketizing, via the NIC, the first plurality of data packets thereby recovering the received data;
• and
• step for causing the data to be communicated over the second communication connection.

A branch exchange that is coupled to a first telecommunication connection and a second telecommunication connection, comprising:

• means for receiving data from the first telecommunication connection and for transmitting the data via a time division multiplexed (TDM) data stream;
• means for receiving control information pertaining to the TDM data stream;
• means for converting the data TDM stream along with the control information pertaining to the TDM data stream in a combined serial data stream into a first plurality of data packets;
• a network interface controller (NIC) that processes the TDM data stream within the branch exchange, the NIC coupled to the converting means, the NIC configured to receive, in parallel, the first plurality of data packets from the converting means, the NIC configured to depacketize the first plurality of data packets thereby recovering the received data;
• and
• means for transmitting the TDM data stream from the NIC over a personal computer interface (PCI) bus to the second communication connection.