Patent ID: 9209998
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for forwarding a packet at a first managed interconnection switching element in a managed network of interconnection switching elements, the method comprising: receiving a packet from a source machine on a first network segment in a first physical segmented network having a first plurality of network segments, the packet having a destination address that identifies a machine located on a second network segment in a second, different physical segmented network having a second plurality of network segments, wherein the first and second network segments are logically coupled to logical ports of a logical switching element that comprises a plurality of logical ports to which a plurality of network segments logically connect, the plurality of network segments located at physically disparate physical segmented networks, the logical switching element implemented by the interconnection switching elements that operate at the edge of the physically disparate physical segmented networks and connect the physically disparate physical segmented networks to an interconnecting network; removing a context tag that identifies the first network segment; using the identification of the first network segment to determine a logical switching element that connects at least the first and second network segments; using the destination address of the packet to logically forward the packet to a particular logical port of the logical switching element, the particular logical port corresponding to the second network segment, wherein the destination address is one of a plurality of addresses that map to the particular logical port; encapsulating the packet with a logical context identifier that identifies the particular logical port; and transmitting the encapsulated packet towards a second managed interconnection switching element at the second physical segmented network.