> Exactly. The switches buffer packets. In most cases, you're right. The vast majority of switches use a sore-and-forward design (buffering), but when you get

> Exactly. The switches buffer packets. In most cases, you're right. The vast majority of switches use a sore-and-forward design (buffering), but when you get into latency-critical applications, another type of switch design is used, typically called a cross-bar switch. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/220055485_A_low-latency_modular_switch_for_CMP_systems http://www.researchgate.net/publication/220055485_A_low-late... http://www.google.com/patents/US5339396 http://www.google.com/patents/US5339396 I think opinions vary on whether or not crossbar designs "buffer" but it mostly depends on how you define buffering. None the less, the low-latency crossbar designs try to eliminate the latency caused by buffering in the older but more common store-and-forward designs.