Nova Patents
GB2317543A

Virtual network architecture

Abstract

Network traffic management is achieved based on automatically setting up a plurality of virtual networks (VNETs) (27) within a single large virtual LAN (35). Mulicast/broadcast traffic (211) is confined to the VNET (27) of the source, without imposing constraints on layer two addressing within the virtual LAN. VNETs (27) are domains of users of a virtual LAN (35) which include members of logical networks defined at layer three or higher. One method includes transferring a multi-destination packet originating from a particular node in the virtual LAN (35) by a point-to-point path to a virtual net server (106). The virtual net server (106) translates the multi-destination packet to a plurality of directed messages identifying nodes authorized to receive multi-destination packets from members of the particular VNET (27) which originated the packet. The directed messages are then forwarded from the virtual net server (106) to the authorized nodes. This way, multi-destination packets, such as advertisement or discovery packets, are confined to a single VNET (27). By confining the mult-destination packets to a single VNET (27), unicast packets generated within the virtual LAN (35) are then also then also naturally confined to that VNET (27).

Term

Term ended

Projected expiry passed 12 July 2016, 10.2 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Published
  4. Projected expiry
  5. Today

1 claim: 1 independent, 0 dependent

  1. 1
    multi-destination packets, such as advertisement or discovery packets, are confined to a single VNET (27). By confining the mult-destination packets to a single VNET (27), unicast packets generated within the virtual LAN (35) are then also then also naturally confined to that VNET (27). o CD ΓΌ CO σι