Patent ID: 7903642

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first processing node in a first domain, the first domain corresponding to a first set of performance characteristics; a second processing node in a second domain, the second domain corresponding to a second set of performance characteristics, the second set differing from the first set by at least one performance characteristic; a communication network configured to transport a first packet from the first processing node, through a first bridge module, to the second processing node through a second bridge module and to transport a second packet from the second processing node, through the second bridge module, to the first processing network through the first bridge module; the first bridge module connecting the first processing node with the communication network and configured to translate packets between the first processing node and the communication network using an abstract protocol that is common to the first domain and the second domain, the abstract protocol defining a mapping between a first concrete protocol of the first domain and a second concrete protocol of the second domain; and the second bridge module connecting the second processing node with the communication network and configured to translate packets between the second processing node and the communication network using the abstract protocol.