Patent ID: 8320369

Claim:
A network device comprising: a plurality of input interfaces to receive, via a network, a plurality of data units; a switch fabric including a plurality of switch circuits arranged in at least an ingress stage, an intermediary stage, and an egress stage, where n is a number of virtual switch planes implemented in the switch fabric, and n is greater than one; and a plurality of output interfaces, where each of the data units is to be forwarded via a particular one of the virtual switch planes, based on a virtual switch plane identifier associated with each of the data units, from one of the input interfaces to one of the switch circuits of the ingress stage, from an output port of the one of the switch circuits of the ingress stage to an input port of one of the switch circuits of the intermediary stage, from an output port of the one of the switch circuits of the intermediary stage to an input port of one of the switch circuits of the egress stage, from an output port of the one of the switch circuits of the egress stage to one of the output interfaces, and from the network device via one of the output interfaces.