Patent ID: 7120791

Claim:
A method for extending VLAN bridging semantics, comprising the steps of: providing an untagged frame and a tagged frame in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Q VLAN bridge model; providing a cryptographically encapsulated frame, which encapsulated frame is a tagged frame, having a VLAN tag that is different from all tags used within unencrypted tagged frames belonging to said VLAN; providing a trunk port divided into inbound and outbound trunk ports; providing one of said untagged, tagged, and encapsulated frame type for each segment representing a bridged, cryptographic VLAN; and transferring traffic between an cryptographically unencapsulated segment (tagged or untagged) and an cryptographically encapsulated segment of a same VLAN; and associating with every VLAN two unique VLAN tags, said two unique VLAN tags comprising VID-T, which is used within tagged, cryptographically unencapsulated frames of said VLAN, and VID-E, which is used within cryptographically encapsulated frames of said VLAN.