Patent ID: 7792100

Claim:
A customer MAC frame forwarding method by an edge Bridge which includes a customer-facing port to transmit/receive a customer MAC frame and a backbone-facing port to transmit/receive a backbone MAC frame and in which a backbone MAC frame format containing at least a destination backbone MAC address, a source backbone MAC address, a Service VLAN ID, and a customer MAC frame is predetermined, one or a plurality of Service VLAN IDs corresponding to each customer-facing port are predetermined, and the customer MAC frame is forwarded only between customer-facing ports corresponding to the same Service VLAN ID, characterized by comprising the steps of: when an origination-side edge Bridge receives the customer MAC frame from the customer-facing port, selecting the Service VLAN ID corresponding to the customer MAC frame from Service VLAN IDs corresponding to the customer-facing port; determining, on the basis of at least one of the Service VLAN ID, a VLAN ID of the customer MAC frame, and a destination MAC address, at least one customer-facing port and backbone-facing port to transmit the customer MAC frame; when it is determined that the customer MAC frame is to be transmitted from the backbone-facing port, encapsulating the customer MAC frame into a backbone MAC frame; when a termination-side edge Bridge receives the backbone MAC frame from the backbone-facing port, setting the Service VLAN ID corresponding to the customer MAC frame contained in the backbone MAC frame to the Service VLAN ID contained in the backbone MAC frame; determining, on the basis of at least one of the Service VLAN ID, the destination MAC address of the customer MAC frame contained in the backbone MAC frame, the VLAN ID, and the destination backbone MAC address of the backbone MAC frame, the customer-facing port and backbone-facing port to transmit the backbone MAC frame; and when the backbone MAC frame is to be transmitted from the customer-facing port, extracting the customer MAC frame from the backbone MAC frame.