Patent ID: 7170892

Claim:
In a network element having a first elemental device and at least a second elemental device, the first and at least second elemental devices, respectively, connected together by a connector, an improvement of apparatus for facilitating communication of data, sourced at a first net entity, at least from the first elemental device to the second elemental device, said apparatus comprising: a frame encapsulator coupled to the first net entity to receive data to be communicated to the second elemental device, said frame encapsulator for frame-formatting the data into data frames, the data frames having a header portion and a data portion, the header portion selectably including a prefix structure, the prefix structure identifying the first net entity, the data frame, once formed, for communication upon the connector to the second elemental device; wherein the first elemental device comprises at least a first external port and wherein the first net entity is positioned external to the first elemental device and coupled to the first external port thereof, and wherein the prefix structure identifies the first external port to which the first data source is coupled; and wherein the first elemental device comprises a Virtual LAN (local area network) processor and wherein said frame encapsulator is embodied at the Virtual LAN processor.