Network resource teaming providing resource redundancy and transmit/receive load-balancing through a plurality of redundant port trunks

1. A method of teaming network resources of a computer system comprising:

apportioning via a processor each of the one or more network resources into one of two or more groups, the one or more resources of each of the groups having a link operative to be coupled together as a port trunk to a different one of two or more coupling devices providing connectivity between the system and a network;

assigning via a processor a unique layer2 address to each one of the groups, wherein one of the assigned layer2 addresses is a team layer2 address, and wherein said assigning further comprising programming the one or more resources of each group to receive on the group's assigned layer2 address;

generating via a processor a response to a communication request received from the network, the response specifying the team layer2 address; and

intercepting the generated response and substituting one of the assigned layer 2 addresses for the team layer2 address.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising load-balancing data transmitted from the system to the network over all of the resources independent of the group to which they belong.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said intercepting and said substituting is performed in accordance with a predetermined load-balancing algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning further comprises enabling each of the coupling devices that is coupled to one of the two or more groups comprising at least two resources to load balance data received from the network among the at least two resources of the group.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising failing over, said failing over further comprising:

detecting the failure of one of the groups to receive a predetermined frame type; and

enabling the one or more resources of at least one of the other of the two or more groups to receive on the layer2 address assigned to the failed group.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said failing over is in response to a loss of connectivity between the failed group and a core of the network.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said failing over is in response to a condition wherein a receive path to the group assigned the team layer2 address is less optimal than a receive path between the core and the different at least one group.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning and said apportioning is performed manually by user through a GUI (graphical user interface).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning and said apportioning is performed by a configurator in accordance with one or more predetermined rules for said assigning and said apportioning.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein said failing over is initiated by a configurator in accordance with one or more predetermined rules for said failing over.

11. A method of teaming network resources of a computer system comprising:

apportioning via a processor each of the network resources into one of two or more groups of the resources, the one or more resources of each of the groups having a link operative to be coupled together as a port trunk to a different one of two or more coupling devices providing connectivity between the system and a network;

assigning via a processor a unique layer2 address to each one of the groups wherein one of the assigned addresses is a team layer2 addresses, said assigning further comprising programming the one or more resources of each group to receive on their group's assigned layer2 address; and

generating via a processor a response to a communication request received from the network, the response specifying one of the assigned layer2 addresses wherein:

the response specifies the team layer2 address; and said generating further comprising intercepting the generated response prior to transmission and substituting a different one of the assigned layer2 addresses for the team layer2 address.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said intercepting and said substituting are performed in accordance with a predetermined load-balancing algorithm.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising load-balancing data transmitted from the system to the network over all of the resources independent of the group to which they belong.

14. A computer system comprising a plurality of network resources, said computer system further comprising:

means for apportioning each of the one or more network resources into one of two or more groups, the one or more resources of each of the groups having a link operative to be coupled together as a port trunk to a different one of two or more coupling devices providing connectivity between the system and a network;

means for assigning a unique layer2 address to each one of the groups, wherein one of the assigned layer2 addresses is a team layer2 address, and wherein said means for assigning further comprising programming the one or more resources of each group to receive on the group's assigned layer2 address; and

means for responding to a communication request received from the network, the response specifying the team layer2 address; and

means for intercepting the generated response and means for substituting one of the assigned layer2 addresses for the team layer2 address.

15. The computer system of claim 14 further comprising means for load-balancing data transmitted from the system to the network over all of the resources independent of the group to which they belong.

16. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein said means for intercepting and said means for substituting is performed in accordance with a predetermined load-balancing algorithm

17. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said means for assigning further comprises means for enabling each of the coupling devices that is coupled to one of the two or more groups comprising at least two resources to load balance data received from the network among the at least two resources of the group.

18. The computer system of claim 14 , further comprising means for failing over, said means for failing over further comprising:

means for detecting the failure of one of the groups to receive a predetermined frame type; and

means for enabling the one or more resources of at least one of the other of the two or more groups to receive on the layer2 address assigned to the failed group.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein said means for failing over responds to a loss of connectivity between the failed group and a core of the network.

20. The computer system of claim 18 wherein said means for failing over responds to a condition wherein a receive path to the group assigned the team layer2 address is less optimal than a receive path between the core and the different at least one group.

21. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said means for assigning and said means for apportioning are receive input manually from user through a GUI (graphical user interface).

22. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said means for assigning and said means for apportioning receive input from a configurator automatically in accordance with one or more predetermined rules.

23. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said means for failing over responds to input from a configurator in accordance with one or more predetermined rules.

24. A computer system comprising a plurality of network resources, said computer system further comprising:

means for apportioning each of the network resources into one of two or more groups of the resources, the one or more resources of each of the groups having a link operative to be coupled together as a port trunk to a different one of two or more coupling devices providing connectivity between the system and a network;

means for assigning a unique layer2 address to each one of the groups wherein one of the assigned addresses is a team layer2 addresses, said assigning further comprising programming the one or more resources of each group to receive on their group's assigned layer2 address;

means for responding to a communication request received from the network, the response specifying one of the assigned layer2 addresses, wherein:

the generated response specifies the team layer2 address; and

said means for responding further comprising means for intercepting the generated response prior to transmission and substituting a different one of the assigned layer2 addresses for the team layer 2 address.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein said means for intercepting and said means for substituting is performed in accordance with a predetermined load-balancing algorithm

26. The computer system of claim 24 further comprising means for load-balancing data transmitted from the system to the network over all of the resources independent of the group to which they belong.