Patent ID: 8149839

Claim:
A method comprising: generating, at a first network device, a first value based upon one or more sections of a first packet; bit rotating, at the first network device, the first value by a first amount to generate a first rotated index, wherein the first amount is specified by a first control variable that is configured for the first network device, and wherein the first rotated index is used to select a path from a plurality of paths for forwarding the first packet from the first network device; generating, at the first network device, a second value based upon one or more sections of a second packet; and bit rotating, at the first network device, the second value by a second amount to generate a second rotated index, wherein the second amount is specified by a second control variable that is configured for the network device and is distinct from the first control variable, and wherein the second rotated index is used to select a port from a plurality of ports associated with a trunk for forwarding the second packet from the first network device.