Systems and methods for forwarding traffic in a cluster network

A method for determining between steered and forwarded network traffic among a cluster of intermediary devices, the method comprising:

• (a) establishing, by a master intermediary device for each intermediary device in a cluster of intermediary devices a predetermined Media Access Control (MAC) identifier and a node identifier, each predetermined MAC identifier comprising a cluster identifier identifying the cluster and the node identifier identifying a corresponding intermediary device, the cluster of intermediary devices comprising a plurality of separate intermediary devices in communication with each other over a common backplane to receive network packets forwarded among intermediary devices in the cluster;
• (b) identifying, by an intermediary device of the cluster from a received network packet having a source address field and a destination address field, that a MAC identifier of the network packet is the predetermined MAC identifier;
• and
• (c) determining, by the intermediary device responsive to identifying that the predetermined MAC identifier is located and present in the source address field of a network layer of the received network packet to process the network packet or responsive to identifying that the predetermined MAC identifier is located and present in the destination address field of the network layer of the received network packet to forward the network packet via the common backplane to another intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices.