Network packet steering via configurable association of packet processing resources and network interfaces

A network packet steering system, comprising:

• a plurality of packet processing resources provided by a network routing/switching device;
• a plurality of network interfaces of the network routing/switching device;
• wherein the plurality of packet processing resources are configurable, uniquely identified within the network routing/switching device, and dynamically assigned to one or more network interfaces of the plurality of network interfaces;
• wherein the dynamically configured assignment is accomplished by storing, within a memory of each of the plurality of network interfaces, a steering table representing a mapping that logically assigns each of the plurality of network interfaces to a packet processing resource of a plurality of packet processing resources, and wherein for each of the plurality of network interfaces, the steering table has contained therein information indicative of a unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource of the plurality of packet processing resources;
• wherein the plurality of network interfaces perform Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering of received packets to the assigned packet processing resource by which the received packets are to be processed by retrieving the information indicative of the unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource from the steering table based on a channel identifier associated with the received packets;
• and
• wherein the received packets are processed by the assigned packet processing resource.