Patent ID: 8462794

Claim:
A method of forwarding data packets in a switched communications network, the network comprising a plurality of systems including a plurality of end systems and a plurality of switches connected by links, the switches having ports connected to end systems and ports connected to other switches, and each end system having a unique physical address, the method comprising: populating a directory with MAC address information and with a virtual LAN mapping of the plurality of systems, the virtual LAN mapping identifying a virtual LAN to which at least one of the plurality of systems belongs; receiving, from a source end system of the plurality of end systems, a packet at a port of an ingress switch of the plurality of switches, the source end system belonging to the virtual LAN; determining, based on information from the packet and the directory, a destination end system and a VLAN ID of the destination end system; determining whether the VLAN ID of the destination end system and a VLAN ID of the source end system are the same; and in response to a determination that the VLAN ID of the destination end system is the same as the source VLAN ID, determining, by a network element of the communications network, a path from the ingress switch to an egress switch to which the destination end system is attached, the path based on the VLAN ID of the destination end system and the directory; and responsive to the determination that the VLAN ID of the destination end system is the same as the source VLAN ID, restricting transmission of the packet to the path from the ingress switch to the egress switch to which the destination end system is attached, to forward the packet to the destination end system.