A packet switch appliance includes a plurality of ports. One of the plurality of ports is configured to operate as a network port connected to a packet-switching network. To map the network port of the packet switch appliance, a port map is created. The port map includes a first map rule, which has a first criterion and a first action, and at least a second map rule, which has a second criterion and a second action. The port map is assigned to the network port. When an ingress packet is received from the packet-switching network through the network port, the port map is applied to the ingress packet.