Abstract

A bus arbitration method for telecommunications switching is provided that receives a plurality of requests of a plurality of priorities for an available asynchronous bus time slot, wherein each request has a weighted age. The plurality of requests are ordered according to the weighted age of each request and access to the bus time slot is granted to a request having the highest weighted age. Further, a bus arbitration method for telecommunications switching is provided that generates a plurality of requests of a plurality of priorities for each of a plurality of packets needing an available bus time slot. An amount of time during which each request is pending is measured. The plurality of requests for the available asynchronous bus time slot are sent to a centralized asynchronous slot arbiter operable to grant access to one of the plurality of packets corresponding to a request having a highest weighted age. The packet for which access is granted may then be placed in the available ingress asynchronous bus time slot by the interface module receiving the grant.