Patent ID: 8842671

Claim:
A method for communication in a network operating in accordance with a standard that allocates a given number of bits m for layer-2 addressing of nodes in the network, the method comprising: accepting at a layer-2 switch in the network an assignment to one or more nodes in the network of respective layer-2 extended addresses, each comprising n=m+k bits, k>0; receiving at the switch a given data packet for forwarding, the given data packet comprising a layer-2 destination address and a layer-3 destination address in accordance with the standard, the layer-3 destination address comprising t bits, t≧k; and forwarding the given data packet from the switch to one of the nodes by reading from the given data packet and combining the layer-2 destination address and k bits from the layer-3 destination address so as to reconstruct the n bits of the extended layer-2 address of the one of the nodes.