Patent ID: 7424018

Claim:
A method of operating a packet switch connected to a packet-switching network, wherein the 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: a) configuring a second port on the packet switch to operate as a first instrument port connected to a first network instrument; b) configuring a third port on the packet switch to operate as a second instrument port connected to a second network instrument; c) establishing a logical connection between the first network port and the first and second instrument ports; and d) for ingress packets received from the packet-switching network through the first network port, distributing a first portion of the ingress packets to the first instrument port and a second portion of the ingress packets to the second instrument port, wherein the first instrument port operates at a first line rate, wherein the second instrument port operates at a second line rate, wherein the first line rate is higher than the second line rate, wherein the first instrument port and the second instrument port are on the same packet switch, and wherein d) comprises: distributing more ingress packets per unit time to the first instrument port than the second instrument port.