Patent ID: 8588232

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, from a first node, a first packet at a network application server via a first local area network (LAN), wherein the first packet includes a network destination address identifying a second node other than the network application server as the destination of the first packet; receiving, from a third node, a second packet at the network application server via a second LAN, wherein the second packet includes a network destination address identifying the fourth node other than the network application server as the destination of the second packet; associating the first packet with a first virtual private network (VPN) based on receiving the first packet via the first LAN, wherein the first node is coupled to the second node through the first VPN; associating the second packet with a second VPN based on reception of the second packet via the second LAN, wherein the third node is coupled to the fourth node through the second VPN; and providing an application-layer service, at the network application server and associated with the first packet that is associated with the first VPN, to the first node or providing an application-layer service, at the network application server and associated with the second packet that is associated with the second VPN, to the third node.