Abstract: The present invention discloses a generic design for the next generation of integrated backbone networks that process traffic from various services such as ATM, IP, FR, MPLS. The network devices possess high capacity (fully redundant) at least 80 Gbps, which focus on high-speed forwarding with protocol agnostic. The present invention includes switching architecture design, enhancement of combined input-output queuing mechanisms, and soft- and hard-scheduling algorithms. By emphasizing the overall systemic optimization and practical implementation, the present invention provides the designated switching system maximum throughput, minimum delay, and QoS guarantees.