Patent ID: 8605722

Claim:
A network device comprising: a plurality of packet replicators that each comprise a plurality of resource partitions; and a control unit configured to store a replication data structure for controlling replication of a packet by the packet replicators to produce a plurality of output packets, wherein the replication data structure comprises a root node that corresponds to a first one of the plurality of packet replicators and one or more additional nodes that correspond to one or more additional ones of the plurality of packet replicators, wherein the root node and one or more additional nodes are arranged hierarchically to occupy one or more levels of the replication data structure, wherein each of the plurality of resource partitions in each of the plurality of packet replicators is associated with a different one of the one or more levels of the replication data structure, wherein the packet replicators replicate the packet according to the replication data structure by identifying one of the additional packet replicators to receive a copy of the packet and sending a resource access request to the identified packet replicator, wherein the resource access request specifies the one of the plurality of resource partitions of the identified packet replicator with which the identified packet replicator shall handle the packet, and wherein each of the additional packet replicators handles the packet using the one of the resource partitions of the additional packet replicator that is associated with the level of the replication data structure occupied by a node of the replication data structure that corresponds to the additional packet replicator.