Patent ID: 7693152

Claim:
A method for Ethernet data frame learning, comprising: receiving, by a bridge through a bridge port of a domain of an Ethernet network divided into multiple domains, an Ethernet data frame including a source Media Access Control (MAC) address; and generating a forwarding matching entry including a destination MAC address, length of a forwarding mask and a bridge egress-port identifier through: acquiring the length of the forwarding mask by matching, according to a length of a learning mask, the source MAC address included in the Ethernet data frame with a MAC learning matching table comprising the source MAC address and the length of the forwarding mask; generating the forwarding matching entry, according to the source MAC address and the length, of the forwarding mask; and saving the forwarding matching entry, in a MAC forwarding matching table, wherein the destination MAC address is acquired by matching the source MAC address with the length of the forwarding mask.