Apparatus and method for pooling network interface cards in a cloud network

A network device, comprising:

• a network interface component comprising:
• a first plurality of physical ports that couple a plurality of servers to the network interface component, wherein virtual machines running on the plurality of servers coupled to the network interface component are configured to transmit and receive data to and from the first plurality of physical ports;
• a plurality of virtual network interface cards running within the network interface component that have logical ports that are coupled to the virtual machines running on the plurality of servers, wherein a single one of the virtual machines running on one of the plurality of servers is configured to use one or more of the plurality of virtual network interface cards, and wherein one of the plurality of virtual network interface cards is configured to be used by one or more of the virtual machines running on one of the plurality of servers;
• a plurality of physical network interface cards that provide physical resources for creating and supporting functions of the plurality of virtual network interface cards, wherein one of the plurality of virtual network interface cards is configured to access functions of one or more of the plurality of physical network interface cards;
• and
• a second plurality of physical ports that couple the network interface component to a switch;
• and
• a processor that has an operating system configured to generate one or more of the plurality of virtual network interface cards to facilitate data flows to and from the virtual machines, wherein the operating system dynamically creates and manages as many of the plurality of virtual network interface cards as is necessary to handle increases and decreases in traffic flows to and from one or more of the virtual machines and also directs which of the plurality of physical network interface cards are to be used or shared amongst which of the plurality of virtual network interface cards and wherein any of the plurality of physical network interface cards can be shared by more than one of the plurality of virtual network interface cards and can also be dynamically reassigned to another virtual network interface card of the plurality of virtual network interface cards depending on live traffic flows through a cloud computing network.