Patent ID: 6463477
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method of operating an interworking function in the presence of multiprotocol encapsulation in a protocol data unit (PDU), said method comprising:reading a control field value in a protocol layer of the PDU below a network layer; detecting multiprotocol encapsulation in the PDU by comparing said control field value to a predetermined value representative of a presence of multiprotocol encapsulation in the PDU; operating a link layer Interworking Function in Translation mode to translate an encapsulation type of a payload of the PDU in response to detecting multiprotocol encapsulation in the PDU; and operating the link layer Interworking Function in Transparent mode by de-encapsulating the payload from a first link layer protocol and re-encapsulating the payload in a second link layer protocol in response to a failure to detect multiprotocol encapsulation in the PDU.