Abstract: A method of protecting a protected link is disclosed. The method includes connecting traffic from a service module to a first physical module having a link layer framer that is connected to a protected egress link. The traffic is connected through the first physical module through a pooling switch to a second physical module that is connected to an alternate egress link.

Abstract: Technology is disclosed for directing data through a network switch. One version of a network switch employs a mid-plane architecture that allows data to be directed between any link interface and any processing engine. Each time slot of data from an ingress link interface can be separately directed to any ingress processing engine. Each time slot of data from an egress processing engine can be separately directed to any egress link interface that supports the lower level protocol for the data. In one version of the switch, each processing engine in the network switch has the ability to service all of the protocols from the layers of the OSI model that are supported by the switch and not handled on the link interfaces. This allows the switch to allocate processing engine resources, regardless of the protocols employed in the data passing through the switch.

Abstract: A data networking system includes a physical interface module of a first type, configured to transfer data traffic that meets a first requirement, a physical interface module of a second type, configured to transfer data traffic that meets a second requirement, the second requirement being different from the first requirement, a packet switch, and a hybrid switching module configured to transfer data between the first physical interface module and the packet switch, and to transfer data between the second physical interface module and the packet switch.

Abstract: Technology is disclosed for directing data through a network switch. One version of a network switch employs a mid-plane architecture that allows data to be directed between any link interface and any processing engine. Each time slot of data from an ingress link interface can be separately directed to any ingress processing engine. Each time slot of data from an egress processing engine can be separately directed to any egress link interface that supports the lower level protocol for the data. In one version of the switch, each processing engine in the network switch has the ability to service all of the protocols from the layers of the OSI model that are supported by the switch and not handled on the link interfaces. This allows the switch to allocate processing engine resources, regardless of the protocols employed in the data passing through the switch.