A self-timed real-time sorting network

High speed networks are expected to carry traffic classes with diverse Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. For efficient utilization of resources, sophisticated scheduling protocols are needed; however; these must be implemented without sacrificing the maximum possible bandwidth. This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a self-timed real-time sorting network to be used in packet switches that support a diverse mix of traffic. The sorting network receives packets with appropriately assigned priorities, and schedules the packets for departure in a highest-priority-first manner. The circuit implementation uses zero-overhead, self-timed, self-precharging domino logic and timed-roadblock techniques to minimize the circuit latency. Experimental chips being built using the techniques described in this paper support 10 Gb/s links with ATM size packets.