Patent ID: 7099315

Claim:
A method of handling data packets in a series of network switches, said method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming data packet at a data port of a first switch of said series of network switches; resolving a stack tag from a header of said incoming data packet; determining whether said incoming data packet is a unicast packet, a multicast packet or an IP multicast packet; and to search the address resolution lookup and layer three IP lookup tables to find an egress port for said incoming data packet; modifying the header of said incoming packet; forwarding said incoming data packet to a second switch of said series of network switches on a stacked connection operating at a first data rate, or to a third switch of said series of switches on a separate connection operating at a second data rate that is different from the first data rate, based on the stack tag and the egress port; and remodifying the header of said incoming packet only when the egress port is one of a series of data ports of a particular switch of said series of switches.