Patent ID: 7120146
Filing Date: 2006-10-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A packet communication method for a network having a plurality of bus systems interconnected by at least one bus bridge, wherein at least one node is attached to each of said bus systems, wherein said bus systems, said bridge and said node are in compliance to a serial bus standard, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a mapping table in a memory of the at least one bus bridge, the mapping table mapping multicast addresses and channels assigned for multicast transmission in the respective bus systems; in a packet switching unit in the at least one bus bridge, translating a channel identifier for a multicast packet for one of the bus systems to a channel identifier for the multicast packet for another of the bus systems based on the mapping table; and the at least one bus bridge establishing a connection between a first channel used in a first bus system of said plurality of bus systems for transmission of packets to a first multicast address and a second channel used in a second bus system of said plurality of bus systems for transmission of packets to a second multicast address if said first and second multicast addresses are equal to each other.