Patent ID: 7808979

Claim:
A packet aggregation method for aggregating packets from multiple clients combining connection-oriented and connection-less techniques, the packet aggregation method comprising: utilizing connection-oriented techniques to forward data from multiple clients to an access switch using a layer 2 protocol, comprising: provisioning a virtual circuit between ports of the multiple clients and a port of the access switch; learning source media access control addresses with respect to the virtual circuit that sourced the frame as data is switched from the ports of the multiple clients to the port of the access switch, the learned source media access control addresses are stored in a table; and forwarding the data in a connection-oriented manner to the virtual circuit; utilizing connection-less techniques to forward data from the access switch to the multiple clients using a layer 2 protocol, comprising: looking up destination media access control addresses in the table as data is switched from the port of the access switch to the ports of the multiple clients and matching a destination media access control address in the data to a destination media access control address in the table, the destination media access control address in the table comprises a corresponding virtual circuit; and if a match is found of the destination media access control address in the data, forwarding data on the corresponding virtual circuit, and, if no match is found of the destination media access control address in the data, flooding or dropping the data responsive to user provisioning; wherein the connection-oriented techniques learn addresses of the multiple clients for use in the connection-less techniques; and utilizing an intermediate aggregation platform between the multiple clients and the access switch comprising a switch fabric and performing a multiplex/demultiplex at an access switch connection.