Buffering of multicast cells in switching networks

• Main Authors: CHIUSSI, FABIO MASSIMO, KNEUER, JOSEPH GEORGE, KUMAR, VIJAY POCHAMPALLI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 23.07.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; SELECTING; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

Multicasting of an ingress cell received at one of a plurality of input ports is provided through a switch network to one or more of a plurality of output ports. The received ingress cell includes a data payload and a bitmap segment identifying the one or more output ports to which the data payload is to be outputted. The data payload is stored in an available cell buffer; associated with each cell buffer is a reference counter for storing a number equal to the number of ports to which that ingress cell is to be outputted. The bitmap segment is used to identify output ports to which the data payload is to be delivered, and a plurality of linked list queues in the memory, one for each of the output ports, is established. The bitmap segment is interpreted to identify output ports to which the data payload is to be delivered and an entry is made into the associated linked list output queue. The data payload is transmitted to each of the identified output ports, according to a sequence determined by the entries in the corresponding linked list queue.