Patent ID: 8891405

Claim:
A network switch box, comprising: a central processing unit (CPU); one or more hardware devices including one or more switches; and a processor in communication with the CPU and the one or more hardware devices, wherein the processor is configured to: multiplex signals between the one or more hardware devices in the switch box and the CPU, and multiplex signals between the CPU and one or more hardware devices of other network switch boxes, in a clustered network, through said processor; wherein said processor is configured to demux data from the one or more hardware devices of the other network switch boxes and transmit the demuxed data to the CPU of the network switch box; wherein: the CPU includes one or more busses connected to each of the one or more hardware devices of the network switch box, the one or more hardware devices of the other network switch boxes are connected to one or more busses of CPUs in the respective one or more other network switch boxes, the mapping of the busses of the one or more hardware devices of the other network switch boxes corresponds to the mapping of the busses of the network switch, and said processor is configured to provide the CPU in the network switch box demuxed data from the one or more hardware devices of the other network switch boxes to corresponding buses of the CPU.