Patent ID: 7027412

Claim:
A system for provisioning first and second virtual networks, the system comprising: a first switch comprising a first set of ports; a second switch comprising a second set of ports; a first software process associated with first switch configured to provision a first virtual subnet using a first plurality of ports from the first set of ports, de-provision the first virtual subnet upon expiration of a defined time, and provision a third virtual subnet using a third plurality of ports from the first set of ports upon de-provisioning the first virtual subnet; a second software process associated with the second switch configured to provision a second virtual subnet using a second plurality of ports from the second set of ports, de-provision the second virtual subnet upon expiration of the defined time, and provision a fourth virtual subnet using a fourth plurality of ports from the second set of ports upon de-provisioning the second virtual subnet; and a communication link connecting the first switch and the second switch wherein, the first virtual network comprises the first virtual subnet and the second virtual subnet, and the second virtual network comprises the third virtual subnet and the fourth virtual subnet.