To address the reduction in the allowable number of
devices that can “hang” off of a high speed interconnect,
systems with multiple devices that must communicate,
tend to use an integrated switching module. In such an
arrangement, each device is connected to a switching
fabric with a high speed interconnect. Typically a star
configuration is implemented. This restricts the fullduplex
ability of single device to simultaneously
communicate with multiple devices. A single device,
may however broadcast to more than one device, through
the switching fabric as long as all intended destinations
are capable of receiving.