1. A method of communicating a packet, the method comprising: converting a packet into cells within an input/output interface, each cell specifying a destination physical address corresponding to a first physical partition of a physically-partitionable symmetric multiprocessor; transferring each cell through a switch in accordance with the destination address; and forming the cells into a reconstructed packet within the first physical partition; and wherein the physically-partitionable symmetric multiprocessor is programmable as a selected one of a first configuration having one physical partition and a second configuration having a plurality of physical partitions.