Patent ID: 7436832

Claim:
A method of operating a first packet switch connected to a packet-switching network, wherein the first packet switch includes a plurality of ports, wherein a first port is configured as a first network port connected to the packet-switching network, the method comprising: configuring a second port on the first packet switch to operate as a first transport port connected to a second packet switch having a plurality of ports, wherein the second port on the first packet switch is connected to a first port on the second packet switch, and wherein a second port on the second packet switch is configured to operate as a first instrument port connected to a network instrument; establishing a logical connection between the first network port on the first packet switch and the first instrument port on the second packet switch through the first transport port; forwarding an ingress packet received from the packet-switching network through the first network port on the first packet switch to the first instrument port on the second packet switch through the first transport port; configuring a third port on the first packet switch to operate as a first instrument port on the first packet switch; in addition to the logical connection established between the first network port on the first packet switch and the first instrument port on the second packet switch, establishing a logical connection between the first network port on the first packet switch and the first instrument port on the first packet switch; and in addition to forwarding the ingress packet from the first network port on the first packet switch to the first instrument port on the second packet switch through the first transport port, forwarding the received ingress packet from the first network port on the first packet switch to the first instrument port on the first packet switch.