Network switch and components and method of operation

1. Apparatus comprising:

a control point processor;

an interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, a number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors; and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a second interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, the number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors; and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said second interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising

a second control point processor;

said interface device being operatively connected to one of said control point processor and said second control point processor;

a second interface device operatively connected to the other of said control point processor and said second control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, the number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors; and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said other control point processor cooperating with said second interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control point processor is located remotely from said interface device and is operatively connected thereto through said two other input/output ports.

5. Apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a backplane mounted in the housing;

a plurality of printed circuit board devices mounted in said backplane;

circuit elements on one of said circuit board devices comprising:

a control point processor;

a semiconductor substrate;

an interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, a number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors; and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said control point processor is formed on said semiconductor substrate.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

circuit elements on a second of said circuit board devices comprising:

an interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, the number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors;

and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

8. Apparatus comprising:

a printed circuit board device; and

circuit elements mounted on said circuit board device comprising:

a control point processor; and

an interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, the number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors;

and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory.

9. Apparatus comprising:

a printed circuit board device; and

circuit elements mounted on said circuit board device comprising:

a control point processor;

an interface device operatively connected to said control point processor and having:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of interface processors formed on said substrate, a number of said processors being at least five;

internal instruction memory formed on said substrate and storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors;

internal data memory formed on said substrate and storing data passing through said device accessibly to said interface processors;

and

a plurality of input/output ports formed on said substrate;

at least one of said input/output ports connecting said internal data memory with external data memory;

at least two other of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through the interface device with an external network under the direction of said interface processors;

said control point processor cooperating with said interface device by loading into said instruction memory instructions to be executed by said interface processors in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory; and

a self routing switching fabric device operatively connected to said interface device and directing data inbound to the apparatus from identifiable addresses to flow outbound from the apparatus to identified addresses.