Patent ID: 7072343

Claim:
A data communications device comprising: multiple network ports; memory that stores an application; and a controller coupled to the multiple network ports and the memory, an agent process running on the controller when the controller operates in accordance with the application stored in the memory such that the agent: intercepts a request signal transmitted from a request signal source to a host computer having a corresponding host destination address, the request signal including the host destination address of the host computer, the request signal originally destined for receipt by the host computer that would respond with control information for controlling a manner in which the request signal source transfers a data stream; originates a control signal in response to receiving the request signal, the control signal including the control information for controlling the manner in which the request signal source transfers the data stream; and provides the control signal to the request signal source to individually control the manner in which the request signal source transfers the data stream among multiple data streams transferred by the request signal source, wherein the request signal source is a routing mechanism operating within the data communications device.