Patent ID: 8830819

Claim:
A network switch apparatus, comprising: a housing; a first network port; a second network port; a first inline port; a second inline port, wherein the first and second inline ports are for communication with a pass-through device; a packet switch; and a by-pass device configured to operate in a first mode of operation, wherein in the first mode of operation, the by-pass device is configured to pass a first packet received at the first network port to the packet switch; wherein the by-pass device is configured to switch from the first mode of operation to a second mode of operation upon an occurrence of a condition, and wherein in the second mode of operation, the by-pass device is configured to transmit a second packet received at the first network port to the second network port without passing the second packet to the packet switch; wherein the network switch apparatus is a single device, and wherein the housing, the first network port, the second network port, the first inline port, the second inline port, the packet switch, and the by-pass device are parts of the single device; wherein the network switch apparatus further comprises a logic device for detecting the condition that triggers the second mode of operation; and wherein the logic device comprises a register, wherein a central-processing-unit (CPU) periodically writes to the register, and the logic device is configured to close a mechanical relay to connect the first and second network ports when the logic device determines that nothing is written to the register for a prescribed period.