Generalized virtual router
View Patent ↗A generalized virtual router is disclosed. A routing and switching apparatus includes a switching fabric and a matrix of switching and routing elements. At least some of the elements are interconnected by the switching fabric. A router control provides control for the switching fabric. The apparatus has both cross-connect and routing functionality.
1. A routing and switching apparatus comprising:
a switching fabric;
a matrix of switching elements and routing elements arranged in a CLOS architecture, at least one of said switching elements being connected to at least one of said routing elements by said switching fabric; and
router control providing control for said switching fabric,
wherein said apparatus has both cross-connect functionality and routing functionality.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said apparatus can support generalized multi-protocol label switching.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said apparatus can provide layer-3 virtual private network services.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said apparatus can exist both physically and virtually within a particular network.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a router capable of forwarding packets according to a label switching algorithm.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said apparatus further comprises an internet-protocol-based layer-3 virtual router.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said apparatus can perform layer-3 forwarding via a network processor.