Patent ID: 7561571
Filing Date: 2009-07-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for use with one or more external networks, the apparatus comprising: at least one network module having one or more physical network interfaces enabled to couple with respective links of the external networks; at least one processor-memory module enabled to run software processes and providing software process visible state for each of a plurality of logical network interfaces; a multi-ported switching fabric, each network and processor-memory module being enabled to couple to a respective port of the switching fabric at a respective fabric address; wherein the plurality of logical network interfaces share one or more couplings to the switching fabric; wherein the physical and logical network interfaces are enabled to be associated with respective fabric sub-addresses and Data Link Layer MAC addresses and to selectively exchange Data Link Layer frames among the links and the processes; and wherein for at least some of the frames received by the network interfaces of each network and processor-memory module, the module is enabled to use at least a destination MAC address of the frame to search a repository of forwarding information and to present the frame to the switch fabric encapsulated with a search-result-provided destination fabric address and destination fabric sub-address.