Marconi Communications Gmbh

Dimitris Varotsis

John E Drake

Daniel S Nydick

Joseph C Kantz

James A Meacham, Ii

A switching system. The switching system includes a first switch having a primary receive port and a secondary receive port. The switching system includes a second switch connected to the first switch. The second switch has n receive ports, where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer. The second switch has m transmit ports, where m is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer. The transmit ports are decoupled from the receive ports. The second switch has a connecting mechanism that includes a multicast mechanism which sends data out a primary transmit port of the m transmit ports to the primary receive port of the first switch to define a primary path, and out a secondary transmit port of the m transmit ports to a secondary receive port of the first switch to define a redundant path to the primary path so that if there is a failure of the primary path to provide the data to the first switch, the data is received by the first switch through the redundant path. The first switch has a mechanism for only accepting the data from the primary path unless the primary path has failed, in which case the data is received by the first switch through the redundant path. A switch. A method of switching data.

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Dimitris Varotsis