Patent ID: 7571470

Claim:
A data center comprising: a Layer 3 switch functioning as a router; a virtual transparent firewall coupled to said router; a plurality of sub-nets coupled to said firewall such that traffic between different sub-nets is segregated by said firewnotall; a content switch coupled to said layer 3 switch in a one arm fashion, the one arm fashion positioning the content switch out of a main traffic path from the Layer 3 switch to the virtual transparent firewall to the plurality of subnets; and means for routing traffic between sub-nets such that all traffic to a sub-net is statefully inspected by routing traffic from a first subnet through the virtual transparent firewall to the Layer 3 switch and, when load balancing is required, to the content switch for load balancing, wherein the traffic is routed back through the layer 3 switch and the virtual transparent firewall to a second subnet.