Patent ID: 8589919

Claim:
A method comprising: communicating with a plurality of virtual machines located at a network device; assigning to each of said plurality of virtual machines, a mode of operation for forwarding data from said virtual machine to said plurality of virtual machines, said mode of operation selected from a hardware forwarding mode wherein said data is forwarded by a hardware implemented switch, and a software switching mode wherein said data is forwarded by a virtual switch at the network device; monitoring a destination of traffic from each of said plurality of virtual machines to identify whether said traffic is between said plurality of virtual machines at the network device or between said plurality of virtual machines at the network device and virtual machines located at another network device; and switching said assigned mode of operation at one or more of said plurality of virtual machines at the network device based on said monitored traffic; wherein forwarding data in said hardware forwarding mode comprises transmitting said data to a physical interface located at the network device and in communication with the hardware implemented switch, the hardware implemented switch physically independent from the network device.