US Patent 7519735 Single board routing arrangement

A network router employs a single board architecture that includes both a forwarding engine and an interface card concentrator. All of the circuits involved in routing are incorporated into a single board, reducing the system cost of the router. A single processor performs various functions in connection with these circuits, such as management of interface cards and the forwarding engine. In addition to lowering the system cost, the compact architecture allows higher density installation of interface cards.