Patent ID: 7885233

Claim:
In a network comprising a first subnet comprising a first WLAN associated with a home wireless switch, a second subnet comprising a second WLAN associated with a first current wireless switch, and a third subnet comprising a third WLAN associated with a second current wireless switch, a method for forwarding a Broadcast/Multicast (BCMC) packet generated by a first wireless client device when the first wireless client device roams from the first subnet to the second subnet, the method comprising: transmitting, from the first wireless client device, the BCMC packet to the second WLAN associated with the first current wireless switch of the second subnet; replicating the BCMC packet at the first current wireless switch and forwarding the BCMC packet from the first current wireless switch to the home wireless switch of the first wireless client device via a first tunnel; receiving, at the home wireless switch over the first tunnel the BCMC packet, and forwarding the BCMC packet from the home wireless switch to a third wireless client device located in the first subnet via the first WLAN; forwarding the BCMC packet from the home wireless switch to the second current wireless switch located in the third subnet via a second tunnel; and receiving the BCMC packet at the second current wireless switch, and forwarding the BCMC packet from the second current wireless switch to a second wireless device that has roamed from the first subnet to the third subnet and is associated with the third WLAN.