Patent ID: 6167052
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for creating one or more connectivity groups in a network which comprises a plurality of domains, wherein each network station can have a first type address and a second type address, wherein traffic within each of said domains is delivered using first type addresses of destination network stations without using second type addresses of destination network stations, but between domains traffic is transferred using the second type addresses of destination network stations, the method comprising:(1) for each domain D1 of at least two of said domains, a computer system obtaining identifiers of virtual broadcast domains (VBDs) in the domain D1;(2) for each connectivity group, the computer system obtaining information identifying the one or more VBDs that are members of the connectivity group, wherein at least one of the connectivity groups comprises VBDs in different domains;(3) for at least one connectivity group, the computer system obtaining information identifying one or more entities that are to be made members of the connectivity group, each entity being a first type address of a network station;(4) for at least one first type address entity A1 which is to be made a member of a connectivity group C1 comprising VBDs in different domains, for each VBD V2 in the connectivity group C1 as defined by information in (2), the computer system performing the following operations:(4A) using information in (1), determining a domain D2 containing the VBD V2;(4B) causing the domain D2 to place the entity A1 into the VBD V2.