Patent ID: 8798059

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by a network device in a private virtual local area network (VLAN), a first packet on a particular port of a plurality of private VLAN ports of the network device; assigning, by the network device, a classified VLAN signature to the first packet, the classified VLAN signature assigned to the first packet including information identifying a classified VLAN associated with the particular port; assigning, by the network device, a primary VLAN signature to the first packet, the primary VLAN signature assigned to the first packet including information identifying a primary VLAN of the private VLAN, and the classified VLAN being the primary VLAN or a secondary VLAN; storing, by the network device and in a single media access control (MAC) address table, a MAC address of the first packet and the classified VLAN signature assigned to the first packet; receiving, by the network device, a second packet; determining, by the network device, whether a MAC address of the second packet matches a MAC address entry in the MAC address table; and flooding, by the network device, the second packet when the MAC address of the second packet does not match the MAC address entry in the MAC address table.