Abstract: A high speed switching device including an aggregator, a plurality of intermediate ports, and ingress packet processing resources, is disclosed. The aggregator includes an external switch port operatively coupled to a transport medium, and a demultiplexer that divides an ingress data stream into a plurality of intermediate streams. The plurality of intermediate ports transmit the intermediate streams to ingress packet processing resources. The ingress packet processing resource may include one or more classification devices for parsing, switching or routing, and queueing packets of the ingress stream, prior to transmission to a switching fabric. The switching device optionally includes an egress processor for multiplexing egress data from the switching fabric. Intermediate port traffic may be dynamically modified to minimize load imbalance present in an ingress switching device and or egress switching device.

Abstract: A high speed switching device including an aggregator, a plurality of intermediate ports, and ingress packet processing resources, is disclosed. The aggregator includes an external switch port operatively coupled to a transport medium, and a demultiplexer that divides an ingress data stream into a plurality of intermediate streams. The plurality of intermediate ports transmit the intermediate streams to ingress packet processing resources. The ingress packet processing resource may include one or more classification devices for parsing, switching or routing, and queueing packets of the ingress stream, prior to transmission to a switching fabric. The switching device optionally includes an egress processor for multiplexing egress data from the switching fabric. Intermediate port traffic may be dynamically modified to minimize load imbalance present in an ingress switching device and or egress switching device.

Abstract: An decryption system which facilitates simultaneous decryption of multiple encrypted television channel signals thus making them simultaneously available for direct tuning in television receivers. The system is characterized by the utilization of a plurality of channel signals time synchronized with respect to a common timing reference signal. Each channel signal is encrypted in accordance with a predetermined encoding rule and distributed to subscriber sites where an unencrypted block of channel signals are made simultaneously available by decrypting them synchronously with the recovered timing reference signal in accordance with the inverse of the encoding rule. An interdiction apparatus then selectively jams a plurality of television channels from within the unencrypted block of channel signals thus making it possible for a provider to programmably interdict reception of selective channels by unauthorized subscribers.