Patent ID: 8111715

Claim:
A network device, comprising: a processor; a network interface controller including a media access controller (MAC), the MAC configured to communicate with the processor; and a switch including i) a plurality of first ports, each of the plurality of first ports configured to receive frames of data from a plurality of different networks, and ii) a second port configured to communicate with the processor, wherein the switch is configured to communicate with the processor, for each of the plurality of first ports, via the second port and the MAC; an ingress policy module configured to receive a first one of the frames of data from a first one of the different networks, determine whether the first one of the frames of data is intended for the first one of the different networks or a second one of the different networks, and in response to a determination that the first one of the frames of data is intended for the first one of the different networks, transmit the first one of the frames to one of the plurality of first ports corresponding to the first one of the different networks; and an egress policy module configured to, in response to a determination that the first one of the frames of data is intended for the second one of the different networks, add a steering header to the first one of the frames of data, wherein the switch is configured to transmit the first one of the frames of data to the second port after the egress policy module adds the steering header to the first one of the frames of data, wherein the steering header includes i) a flooding mask configured to identify one or more of the plurality of first ports, and ii) a management bit configured to, when set, indicate that the first one of the frames of data is a management frame.