Accelerated Packet Placement Architecture for Parallel Shared Memory Routers

Parallel shared memory (PSM) routers represent an architectural approach for addressing the high memory bandwidth requirements dictated by output-queued switches. A fundamental related challenge pertains to the design of the high-speed memory management algorithm which is responsible for placing arriving packets into nonconflicting memories. In previous work, we have extended PSM results by introducing the concept of Fabric on a Chip (FoC). The latter advocates the consolidation of core packet switching functions on a single chip. This paper further develops the underlying technology for high-capacity FoC designs by incorporating a speedup factor coupled with a multiple packet placement process. This yields a substantial reduction in the overall memory requirements, paving the way for the implementation of large scale FoCs. We further provide analysis for establishing an upper bound on the sufficient number of memories along with a description of an 80Gbps switch implementation on an Altera Stratix II FPGA.