Patent ID: 8923277

Claim:
A system, comprising: a compute device to communicate with a first network control entity at a first access switch from a plurality of access switches that are coupled to each other via a switch fabric, the compute device to store a map between a physical identifier of a first port of the first access switch and both a logical identifier of the first network control entity and a logical identifier of the first port, the compute device to forward to the first network control entity, based on the map, configuration information that references the first port by the logical identifier of the first port, the compute device configured to send, to a second network control entity at a second access switch from the plurality of access switches and in response to a request, configuration information that references a second port of the first access switch by a logical identifier of the second port of the first access switch, the logical identifier of the second network control entity and the logical identifier of the second port being concealed from a first user submitting the request, and the physical identifier of the first port being managed by the first user, the logical identifier of the first port being managed by a second user different from the first user.