Abstract: An arbitration unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The arbitration unit includes an allocation unit that assigns a first number of slots in a frame to a first flow and a second number of slots in the frame to a second flow. The arbitration unit includes a scheduling unit that assigns first slot positions to the first number of slots in the frame and second slot positions to the second number of slots in the frame using a binary distribution tree.

Abstract: A data routing mechanism is disclosed. The data routing mechanism includes virtual output queues (VOQs), corresponding to a first input port, that store data to be sent to one of a first and second output port. The data routing mechanism includes VOQs, corresponding to a second input port, that store data to be sent to one of the first and second output port. The data routing mechanism includes a switch fabric that includes a plurality of buffers at crosspoints between the first and second input ports and the first and second output ports. The data routing mechanism includes a first input scheduler that transmits a first data from the VOQs corresponding to the first input port to one of the plurality of buffers based on lengths of the VOQs corresponding to the first input port and a credit state of the plurality of buffers.