CR: Scalable Routers Based on a New Architecture

The switching fabric in the Avici TSR uses a 3-D torus topology with each line card carrying one node of the torus. It requires no centralized switching fabric, whereas its scalability is limited by the bisection bandwidth. This paper proposes a novel architecture called Cellular Router (CR). There exist some problems with the basic CR architecture. They are solved by introducing Mirror Points (MPs). This paper also gives the design of line cards in this architecture. In the end, the design of routing algorithms is introduced on this architecture. The CR architecture shows excellent scalability and fault tolerance. It is a promising choice for the design of scalable routers.