As Internet traffic continues to grow, and demands for quality of service become more stringent, researchers and engineers can turn to High Performance Switches and Routers for tested and proven solutions. This text presents the latest developments in high performance switches and routers, coupled with step-by-step design guidance.

More than 550 figures and examples enable readers to grasp all the theories and algorithms used for design and implementation.

The authors begin with an examination of the architecture of the Internet, as it is now and as it will be in the future. Then, they examine router architectures and their building blocks, and the challenging issues involved in designing high performance, high-speed routers. Examples of commercial high-end routers are provided.

Next, the authors discuss the main functions of the line cards of a core router, including route lookup, packet classification, and traffic management for quality of service control. The bulk of the text is then dedicated to packet switching designs. Coverage includes the various available architectures, algorithms, and technologies. Among the topics covered, readers will find detailed discussions of the latest innovations in electrical and optical packet switching. The final chapter discusses state-of-the-science commercial chipsets used to build routers. Readers learn their architecture and functions, using the theories and conceptual designs presented in the previous chapters as a foundation.

Although implementation techniques for switches and routers will continue to evolve, thefundamental theories and principles of this text will serve readers for years to come. In addition to bringing researchers and engineers up to date with the latest designs, this text, with its focus on illustrations and examples, is an ideal graduate-level textbook.