Patent ID: 9509610
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: G06F,H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method for forwarding a packet in a stacking system comprising at least two member devices, wherein each member device comprises at least two Virtual Devices (VDs), a first VD of a first member device connects with a first VD of a second member device via a stacking link that is established between the first member device and the second member device, a VD number of the first VD in the first member device is the same as that of the first VD in the second member device, the method comprising: when a unicast packet is received via a service port, searching, by the first VD of the first member device, in a forwarding table of the first VD of the first member device for a corresponding port number based on a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address and a destination Virtual Local Area Network (ULAN) identifier (ID) carried in the unicast packet; determining, by the first VD of the first member device, if the unicast packet is to be forwarded to another member device based on said searching; determining, by the first VD of the first member device, if the destination port number is one of member port numbers of the first member device; when the destination port number is not one of the member port numbers of the first member device, determining, by the first VD of the first member device, the unicast packet is to be forwarded to another member device; when the unicast packet is to be forwarded to another member device, forwarding, by the first VD of the first member device, the unicast packet via the stacking link; and when the unicast packet is forwarded via the stacking link, adding, by the first VD of the first member device, a descriptor to the unicast packet, wherein the descriptor comprises the destination port number and the VD number of the first VD of the first member device.