Patent ID: 8369295

Claim:
A method to provide connectivity and power for different aircraft sub-systems varying in levels of criticality and intended purposes while using a single partitioned Airborne Local Area Network (ALAN), said method comprising: providing a plurality of clients interfaced to said ALAN, each of said clients embodying an aircraft sub-system; distributing power from at least one Ethernet Switch Power Unit (ESPU) arranged on said ALAN to a client group connected to each said ESPU, said client group including one or more of said clients; and selectively providing network connectivity among each of said clients by way of at least one Connectivity Server Unit (CSU) arranged on said ALAN where each said CSU includes a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) located between a physical ALAN interface of said client and a processor of said client and said FPGA is preprogrammed with data domain multicast MAC addresses that are always routed to and from all ESPU drops for network switching functions enabling said network connectivity and thereby controlling connectivity among said clients and functionality of said clients on said ALAN.