Patent ID: 8233496

Claim:
A method comprising: replicating, by a network device and at a first location in the network device, a data item to produce a first replicated data item associated with a first destination in the network device, the data item including: data from a header of a packet, and information, associated with the network device, that is different than information included in the packet, and the packet to be forwarded from the network device toward a plurality of destinations in a network associated with the network device; at least one of: replicating, by the network device and at a second location in the network device, the data item to produce a second replicated data item associated with a second destination in the network device; or replicating, by the network device and at a third location in the network device, the data item to produce a third replicated data item associated with a third destination in the network device, the first location, the second location, and the third location being different one from another; generating by the network device: a first copy of the packet based on the first replicated data item, and at least one of; a second copy of the packet based on the second replicated data item, or a third copy of the packet based on the third replicated data item; and forwarding the first copy of the packet and the at least one of the second copy of the packet or the third copy of the packet toward a corresponding one of the plurality of destinations.