Switch Architecture

Synonyms

Router architecture

Definition

The switch architecture defines the internal organization and functionality of components in a switch. The switch is in charge of forwarding units of information from the input ports to the output ports.

Discussion

High-performance computing systems, like clusters and massively parallel processors (MPPs), rely on the use of an efficient interconnection network. As the number of end nodes increases to thousands, or even larger sizes, the network becomes a key component since it must provide low latencies and high bandwidth at a moderate cost and power consumption. The basic components of a network are switches/routers, links, and network interfaces. The interconnection network efficiency largely depends on the switch design.

Prior to defining and describing the switch architecture concept, it is worth differentiating between router and switch. Typically, the router is the basic component in a network that forwards messages from a set of input...