Patent ID: 7574738

Claim:
A method for permitting a first device on a first Virtual Private Network (VPN) to communicate with a second device on a second VPN, the method comprising: automatically authenticating, at an interconnection device without reference to a completely centralized decision making process, the first device on the first VPN; automatically identifying, at the interconnection device without reference to a completely centralized decision making process, VPN parameters of the first VPN related to connecting and forwarding characteristics of the first VPN; forwarding data from the first device on the first VPN to the second device on the second VPN via the first VPN, the interconnection device and the second VPN, said forwarding step being based on the VPN parameters of the first VPN; automatically authenticating, at the interconnection device without reference to a completely centralized decision making process, the second device on the second VPN; automatically identifying, at the interconnection device without reference to a completely centralized decision making process, VPN parameters of the second VPN related to connecting and forwarding characteristics of the second VPN; reading at least a portion of the VPN parameters of the first VPN and at least a portion of the VPN parameters of the second VPN from a mapping table stored on the interconnection device which contains information related to plural VPNs associated with the interconnection device; and forwarding data from the second device on the second VPN to the first device on the first VPN via the second VPN, the interconnection device and the first VPN.