Patent ID: 9148403
Filing Date: 2015-09-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for aggregating backbone media access control addresses exchanged between two backbone networks over a peer interconnect by using a summary media access control address(es) (SMA) to represent a group or collection of backbone media access control addresses (MA), the method comprising: receiving an IEEE 802.10 frame containing a backbone destination media access control address and one or more IEEE 802.10 tag(s) at an intermediate network device from the second of two backbone networks communicatively coupled by the intermediate network device; inspecting the frame backbone destination media access control address and determining if it is a recognized summary media access control address, the backbone destination media access control address being an SMA for a plurality of intermediate network devices within the first of the two backbone networks; if the previous step recognized the summary media access control address, then an IEEE 802.10 tag from the received frame is used to determine if the backbone destination is a known backbone destination and to determine the backbone destination media access control address; overwriting the frame backbone destination media access control address with the known backbone destination media access control address determined in the previous step if the previous two steps determined the frame destination media access control address is a recognized summary media access control address and the backbone destination is known; forwarding the frame received from the second of the two backbone networks communicatively coupled by the intermediate network device to the known backbone destination media access control address within the first backbone network; where the frame contains an IEEE 802.1ah I-TAG which is used to determine the MA for frames having SMAs in the backbone destination fields.