Network server having dynamic load balancing of messages in both inbound and outbound directions

In a communications network including a server having multiple entry ports coupled to a plurality of workstations through a network switch, a method of dynamically balancing in-bound and out-bound messages to/from the multiple entry port server comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting data packets including network destination addresses to the network switch;
• a1) associating multiple ports of the server with multiple output ports of said switch;
• b) appending a header to the data frame, the header identifying one of the multiple output ports of said switch as destination port for transmitting one of the data packets;
• c) examining a port entry bit associated with one of the multiple output ports to determine if said output port is busy;
• d) if the switch output port is busy, sequentially monitoring the multiple output ports to detect a non-busy one;
• and
• e) routing the frame through the non-busy one to the server.

In a communications network including a server having multiple ports with each one coupled to a port of a switch and said switch coupled through other ones of its ports to a plurality of workstations, a method for dynamically balancing inbound and outbound messages to/from the server including the steps of:

• a) receiving in said switch a message including a destination address;
• b) determining if the destination address is that of the server;
• b1) determining a group of switch output ports coupled to the server;
• c) if the destination address is the address of the server, sequentially monitoring ports in the switch output group of ports to detect a non-busy one;
• and
• d) routing the frame through the selected non-busy one of the group of ports.

A network switch comprising:

• at least one input port that receives frame;
• a plurality of output ports some of which are grouped to provide service to one device;
• a destination address locator responsive to addresses in each of the received frames to generate and record header indicia in said each one of the received frames wherein the indicia relates to an output port to which the frame is to be routed;
• a switch route table including header indicia entries and associated output port number entries;
• and
• a switch controller correlating header indicia in each frame with entries in the switch route table and routing the frame to an output port corresponding to matched entries or to a non-busy port in ports grouped with output port if the output port is busy.