Virtual system configuration

A system for decoupling devices in a network, the system comprising:

• a processor further comprising:
• a discovery unit that discovers a topology of the network, the topology including parent and child connection information between two or more stacked units of the network and including transmit and receive connections for each stack port;
• an analysis unit that analyzes the topology of the network using the transmit and receive connections for each stack port to enable communications between the stack ports and to determine packet routing between the stacked units and;
• a stack task unit that distributes topology information for the network based on the analyzed topology information to each of the stacked units;
• a dispatch unit that virtually attaches a remote switch device to the network by decoupling a processor of the remote switch device such that the remote switch device is virtually controlled by a processor of a different stacked unit and the remote switch device appears and functions as a local switch device to system-wide applications, wherein the decoupled processor of the remote switch device functions as a local central processing unit to process local device functions, wherein the dispatch unit virtually attaches the remote switch device to the network using a remote procedure call (RPC).

An apparatus for decoupling devices in a network for use by a system-wide application, the apparatus comprising:

• a processor further comprising:
• means for accumulating topology information for the network, the topology information including parent and child connection information between two or more stacked units of the network and including transmit and receive connections for each stack port, wherein each of the stacked units includes a processor and at least one switch device;
• means for analyzing the topology information using the transmit and receive connections for each stack port to enable communications between the stack ports and to determine packet routing between the stacked units and;
• means for distributing the topology information for the network based on the analyzed topology information to each of the stacked units;
• means for virtually attaching a remote switch device to the network by decoupling a processor of the remote switch device such that the remote switch device is virtually controlled by a processor of a different stacked unit and the remote switch device appears and functions as a local switch device to system-wide applications, wherein the decoupled processor of the remote switch device functions as a local central processing unit to process local device functions, wherein the means for virtually attaching the remote switch device comprises means for virtually attaching the remote switch device to the network using a remote procedure call (RPC).