Packet switching equipment and switching control method

1. A packet switching equipment for switching packets between input ports and output ports, comprising:

input buffer portions temporarily storing packets arriving to said input ports, adding labels identifying destination port numbers to said packets, and outputting packets with the added labels;

a switch core portion for switching said packets on the basis of the labels added by said input buffer portions;

an arbiter portion providing output permissions to the input buffer portions for outputting to said output ports; and

a sorting network autonomously sorting and concentrating said packets on the basis of said labels added to said packets being applied to said switch core portion,

wherein said arbiter portion executes an output destination adjusting process for providing output permission for outputting to said output ports for said input buffer portions storing said packets with avoiding overlapping, and a vacant port adjusting process assigning idle output ports not occupied by any input buffer portions for idle input buffer portions not obtaining output permission.

2. A packet switching equipment as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said input buffer portions assigned said output ports by said output destination adjusting process, output valid packets to the assigned output ports and said input buffer portions assigned said output ports by said vacant port adjusting process generate and output dummy packets addressed to the assigned output ports.

3. A packet switching equipment as set forth in claim 2 , which further comprises packet filtering portions provided corresponding to respective output ports and passing only valid packets and abandoning dummy packets.

4. A switching control method for a packet switching equipment for switching packets between input ports and output ports, comprising:

receiving packets at input buffer portions;

adding labels to the packets at the input buffer portions, the labels identifying destination port numbers;

switching said packets on the basis of the labels by a switch core portion;

providing output permissions by an arbiter portion to the input buffer portions for outputting packets to said output ports by an arbiter portion; and

employing a sorting network autonomously sorting and concentrating said packets on the basis of said labels added to the said packets in said switch core portion,

wherein said arbiter portion executes an output destination adjusting process for providing output permission for outputting to said output ports for said input buffer portions storing said packets with avoiding overlapping and a vacant port adjusting process assigning idle output ports not occupied by any input buffer portions for idle input buffer portions not obtaining output permission.

5. A switching control method as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said input buffer portions assigned said output ports by said output destination adjusting process, output packets to the assigned output ports and said input buffer portions assigned said output ports by said vacant port adjusting process generate and output dummy packets addressed to the assigned output ports.

6. A switching control method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein only valid packets are passed and dummy packets are abandoned.

7. A packet switching equipment as set forth in claim 2 wherein the input buffer portions are configured to:

designate packets as valid and invalid.

8. A packet switching equipment as set forth in claim 7 further comprising:

a plurality of filter portions, each filter portion corresponding to a respective output port and being configured to:

receive packets from the switch core portion,

forward packets designated as valid, and

drop packets designated as invalid.

9. A switching control method as set forth in claim 4 further comprising:

designating, via the input buffer portions, packets as valid or invalid; and

dropping packets designated as invalid prior to reaching the output ports.

10. A network device comprising:

a plurality of output ports;

a plurality of input buffer portions configured to:

receive packets, and

forward the packets toward the output ports, at least one input buffer portion of the plurality of input buffer portions being configured to generate and forward a dummy packet toward an output port of the plurality of output ports when the output port is idle; and an arbiter configured to provide output permissions to the plurality of input buffer portions, when providing the output permissions, the arbiter is configured to: provide a first output permission, to a first input buffer portion of the plurality of input buffer portions, for outputting a packet to a first output port of the plurality of output ports, and the arbiter being further configured to: assign the at least one input buffer portion to the idle output port.

11. The network device of claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of filter portions corresponding to the plurality of output ports and being configured to:

drop the dummy packet prior to reaching the output port.

12. The network device of claim 10 wherein the plurality of input buffer portions is further configured to:

add labels to the received packets, the labels identifying the plurality of output ports.

13. The network device of claim 12 further comprising:

a switch core portion configured to switch packets from the plurality of input buffer portions toward the plurality of output ports based on the added labels.