Patent ID: 7058727

Claim:
A computer comprising: a plurality of processes, wherein the plurality of processes service a destination address and have process addresses; a packet routing layer, wherein the packet routing layer routes packets to the plurality of processes using destination addresses within the packets; a dispatch layer between the packet routing layer and an IP layer, wherein the dispatch layer has a plurality of modes of operation including: a first mode of operation in which the dispatch layer receives a packet from a client, wherein the packet includes the destination address; a second mode of operation, responsive to receiving the packet, in which the dispatch layer identifies a process within the plurality of processes to service the client, wherein the process is an identified process; a third mode of operation in which the dispatch layer translates the destination address to a process address for the identified process within the plurality of processes; and a fourth mode of operation, responsive to the third mode of operation, in which the packet is sent to the packet routing layer.