Patent ID: 6023563
Filing Date: 2000-02-08
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
For use in a configuration of interconnected computer networks, each network being made up of at least one station, each station having a MAC address and a network address, the interconnected computer networks handling message traffic in the form of packets of data in accordance with a set of inter-network protocols that use a network addressing scheme, a network switch having the network presence of a bridge, comprising:(a) a network topology learner for gathering network topology information contained in the message traffic, correlating station MAC addresses with station network addresses;(b) a database for storing said topology information;(c) a data packet modifier for modifying address information contained in the data packets; and(d) a packet transmitter for selectively transmitting data packets having a destination address registered in said database to said destination address, and forwarding data packets having a destination address not registered in said database to a router, such that said packet transmitter receives a response from said router and said packet transmitter learns said destination address from said response.