Patent ID: 7184441

Claim:
A network switch stack configuration, said configuration comprising: a first network switch comprising a plurality of data ports, a first stacking port, a first internet port interface controller, and a first CPU interface; a second network switch having a plurality of data ports, a second stacking port, a second internet port interface controller, and a second CPU interface; and a common CPU connected to said first CPU interface and said second CPU interface; wherein the first stacking port and the second stacking port are communicatively connected through said first and second internet port interface controllers, such that incoming packets on any of the plurality of data ports on the first and second switches are effectively switched to any of the plurality of data ports on either of the first and second network switches; and wherein the first switch adds a module header having one of a TGID field which identifies a trunk group identifier of a first port, or a module IP bitmap which sends a packet to a mirror-to port located on a remote module, to the incoming packets and the second stacking port reads the module header to determine egress ports for the packets.