Abstract: Systems and methods for steering data packets among a plurality of available network devices. A device connected to a wide area network through multiple network interfaces may dynamically select which network interface to use to transmit individual packets sent to, and received from, client devices over a local area network.

Abstract: A physically realizable one terabit or more ATM packet switch that has a large number of input interfaces connected to a single stage switching fabric which is in turn connected to a number of output modules, generally according to the growable packet switch architecture. This ATM packet switch is different from other growable packet switches in that it has a single stage switch fabric controlled by an out-of-band controller, yet it has significantly reduced complexity with respect to comparably sized electronic crossbar switches or their isomorphs. The out-of-band controller has multiple priority levels in order to provide high priority users with a near certainty that their packets will be successfully routed, while delivering an acceptably low packet or cell loss probability to users at the lowest priority level.

Abstract: An out-of-band controller for a large packet switch which is distributed throughout partitions or pipes of the packet switch. Thus, the out-of-band controller is divided into multiple pipe controllers. These pipe controllers are connected and operated in a ring such that each pipe controller is with a respective fraction of the input path requests for packets. The requests are processed concurrently and any request that is not fulfilled in one pipe controller is offered to up to three subsequent pipe controllers to hunt a path for the awaiting packets. The controller, by using up to four levels of parallelism, can hunt paths and set up connections for 256 or more input ATM packet lines in normal monocast mode, thus providing a throughput of 1 terabit per second or more. A distributed controller design makes such tremendous aggregate switching speeds possible.

Abstract: A distribution network that has very low internal blocking, similar to that found in large N.times.N single crossbar networks, but without the complexity and cost of such a network. Further, this distribution network has only one stage to simplify and speed up the ability to find a path through the network to fulfill each request. The distribution network is a fabric of small crossbar switches which are organized into a plurality of pipes. Each of the pipes provides a path that could fulfill any request assuming that path is not currently busy. Sophisticated statistics are used to reduce the possibility of internal block to a very low level. The single stage of pipes simplifies the hunt for a path through the distribution network to a hunt for a pipe having the required path that is empty or idle. Because of the single stage and the simplified path hunting, a fabric of switches may be built that has a throughput of over one terabit per second.

Abstract: An out-of-band controller for a large packet switch which is distributed throughout partitions or pipes of the packet switch. Thus, the out-of-band controller is divided into multiple pipe controllers. These pipe controllers are connected and operated in a ring such that each pipe controller is with a respective fraction of the input path requests for packets. The requests are processed concurrently and any request that is not fulfilled in one pipe controller is offered to up to three subsequent pipe controllers to hunt a path for the awaiting packets. The controller, by using up to four levels of parallelism, can hunt paths and set up connections for 256 or more input ATM packet lines, thus providing a throughput of 1 terabit per second or more. By distributing the controller both tremendous aggregate switching speeds may be attained without resort to exotic semiconductor technologies.