Patent ID: 6038608
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G06F,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A virtual LAN system comprising a plurality of virtual LANs and an intelligent switching hub device with a plurality of ports for conducting protocol-based communications, wherein ports communicating according to one protocol are grouped and communication is performed between said ports in said group, wherein said virtual LAN system includes a frame switch for outputting a frame to one of said ports according to a destination MAC address indicative of said one port as a destination and contained in said frame received by said one of said ports, and wherein said frame switch comprises:a port table having pointers A indicative of next tables corresponding to said respective ports;a plurality of protocol ID tables produced correspondingly to said pointers A of said respective port tables and having pointers B indicative of respective next tables corresponding in number to protocols which can be communicated with said ports corresponding to said respective pointers A;a plurality of virtual LAN data tables produced for respective virtual LAN preliminarily determined in said frame switch and having pointers C indicative of respective next tables appointed by said pointers B in said protocol ID tables and a port information indicative of said ports belonging to said respective virtual LANs; anda plurality of MAC forwarding tables produced correspondingly to said respective pointers C in said virtual LAN data tables and having port numbers of said ports corresponding to said respective pointers A and produced corresponding to transmitting MAC addresses contained in said frame received by said ports corresponding to said pointers A in said port tables and indicative of transmitters and a count value of a counter for continuously counting from a time at which said port numbers are registered.