Patent ID: 7209446

Claim:
A data communications device comprising: a set of network ports; and a controller coupled to the set of network ports, the controller including: means for intercepting, through the set of network ports, 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; means for originating 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 means for providing, through the set of network ports, 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; and the controller further including: means for determining, in response to intercepting the request signal, whether there is sufficient information to generate the control signal without contacting the host computer; means operative, if it is determined that there is not sufficient information, to contact the host computer to obtain information needed to generate the control signal; and means operative, if it is determined that there is sufficient information, to generate the control signal without contacting the host computer to obtain such information.