Bridging techniques for local area networks
First Claim
1. In a communications system:
- a channel comprising a plurality of LANS including multiple stations;
bridge means associated with said channel for effecting communications between stations in different LANS of said channel;
means at each station for formatting and transmitting a data packet with a header including either a first or a second bridge signal;
each station including means responsive only to a transmitted data packet including a header having said first bridge signal; and
said bridge means including means responsive only to a transmitted data packet including a header having said second bridge signal for coupling said data packet to a selected destination station while altering said second bridge signal to said first bridge signal.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communications system includes one or more channels each comprising a plurality of LANs having multiple stations. The LANs of a particular channel are interconnected by a bridge interface, the respective bridge interfaces being connected by a backbone network. Each station is capable of transmitting a data packet including a header having either a 0 or 1 bridge flag, LAN stations being responsive only to data packets having a 0 bridge flag and bridge interfaces only to packets having a 1 bridge flag. Intra-LAN communications are thus effected by data packets having headers with 0 bridge flages while inter-LAN communications are effected by transmitting a packet with a 1 bridge flag from a source station which is coupled to the destination station by the bridge which also changes the bridge flag to 0. A special "broadcast" header is used to effect communications when the LAN or channel of the destination station is unknown.
68 Citations
12 Claims
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1. In a communications system:
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a channel comprising a plurality of LANS including multiple stations; bridge means associated with said channel for effecting communications between stations in different LANS of said channel; means at each station for formatting and transmitting a data packet with a header including either a first or a second bridge signal; each station including means responsive only to a transmitted data packet including a header having said first bridge signal; and said bridge means including means responsive only to a transmitted data packet including a header having said second bridge signal for coupling said data packet to a selected destination station while altering said second bridge signal to said first bridge signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A communications system comprising:
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a channel comprising a plurality of LANs having multiple stations; a bridge associated with said channel for effecting communications between stations in different LANs of said channel; each station and each LAN having respective addresses; means at each station for formatting and transmitting a data packet having a header including digitally encoded source station, channel and LAN addresses and digitally encoded destination station, channel and LAN addresses and a single digit bridge flag having a first value for destination stations located within the source station LAN and a second value for destination stations located outside the source station LAN; means at each station for responding only to a data packet having a header with a bridge flag of said first value; and means at each bridge responsive to a data packet having a bridge flag of said second value for changing said bridge flag to said first value while coupling said data packet to the destination station. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method of communication among a plurality of stations in a channel having different LANs and including bridge interface means connected to the channel comprising the steps of:
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at each station; formatting, when required, a data packet having a header including a source station address and LAN number and a destination station address and LAN number and a bridge flag set to a first value for communications with destination stations within its LAN and to a second value for communications with destination stations outside its LAN; ignoring a data packet with a header having a bridge flag set to said second value; responding to a data packet with a header having a bridge flag set to said first value and having a destination station address corresponding to its station address; at each bridge interface means; determining the value of a bridge flag in the header of a data packet; ignoring a data packet with a header having a bridge flag set to said first value; and changing a bridge flag set to second value in the header of a data packet to said first value while coupling said data packet to the destination station LAN. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification