Patent ID: 7644147

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: means for storing data; plurality of port means comprising one or more network port means for sending and receiving data packets and for receiving management packets, wherein each of the management packets comprises one or more commands, and wherein the one or more commands comprise one or more of the group consisting of a command to read data from the means for storing, and a command to write data to the means for storing, and central processing unit (CPU) port means for transmitting packets addressed to a CPU; forwarding engine means for transferring the data packets between the plurality of port means according to a forwarding table stored in the means for storing; protocol means for identifying the management packets; and management means for executing the one or more commands, wherein the management packets bypass the CPU port means, and wherein the management means, upon receiving one of the management packets comprising the one or more commands, stores the one or more commands in the means for storing, and executes the one or more commands when predetermined bits in the means for storing match a predetermined trigger pattern during a predetermined interval following receiving the one of the management packets, and wherein the predetermined interval is selected based on a desired security level.