Abstract: This specification describes a system and method that can offer, among other advantages, a technique for resource assignment that involves obtaining a group of resources, repeatedly selecting a resource from the group of resources until a resource that is available is selected, and associating a client or process with that resource. An example of a method according to the technique includes obtaining a group of VLANs for assignment to a client based on client identity, selecting a first choice from the group of VLANs, selecting a next choice from the group of VLANs if the first choice is unavailable, and connecting the client to the selected VLAN. The client identity may include, by way of example but not limitation, a MAC address, an SSID, or some other known or convenient way to identify the client. A system constructed according to the technique may include, by way of example but not limitation, memory, a resource group name decoder, a value calculator, an index calculator, and a selector.