Importance

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Abstract

A multi-interface point-to-point switching system includes a plurality of I/O ports coupled to a plurality of respective devices, and a switching fabric that selectively delivers each of a plurality of different signals from a selected one of the I/O ports coupled to a sending one of the devices to another selected one of the I/O ports coupled to a receiving one of the devices, to thereby establish respective connections between the sending and receiving devices. According to one aspect of the invention, at least one of the different signals is a parallel interface format signal and at least one of the different signals is a serial interface format signal. Moreover, the switching fabric does not interact with any data transfer protocol used by the devices for data communications with one another. According to another aspect of the invention, the switching fabric provides a fixed, low latency signal path for each connection between a sending and receiving device for the duration of that connection, whereby the latency of that connection is deterministic and predictable, and the signal being delivered via that connection is not analyzed or processed by the switching fabric.

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First Claim