Apparatus, method, system and system method for distributed routing in a multipoint communication system
First Claim
1. A method for a system of distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate media access control network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the method comprising:
- (a) assigning a first internetwork protocol address of a plurality of internetwork protocol addresses to a terminal of the plurality of terminals,(b) assigning a second internetwork protocol address of the plurality of internetwork protocol addresses to the primary node; and
(c) transferring information between the terminal and the primary node, via a secondary node of the plurality of secondary nodes, independently of any internetwork protocol address of the secondary node.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus (110, 101), method, system (100) and system method provide for distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system (100). The communication system (100) is characterized by a topology having a primary node connected to a first network, such as the Internet, and connected via an intermediate network to a mulitplicity of secondary nodes, which are further connected via a secondary network to a plurality of terminals, such as personal computers. The apparatus (110, 101), method, system and system method provide for routing of information between the primary node and the terminals independently of and transparently to any internetwork address of a secondary node. The apparatus (110, 101), method, system and system method conserve internetwork addresses by utilizing internetwork addresses only for a primary node and for terminals.
199 Citations
84 Claims
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1. A method for a system of distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate media access control network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the method comprising:
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(a) assigning a first internetwork protocol address of a plurality of internetwork protocol addresses to a terminal of the plurality of terminals, (b) assigning a second internetwork protocol address of the plurality of internetwork protocol addresses to the primary node; and (c) transferring information between the terminal and the primary node, via a secondary node of the plurality of secondary nodes, independently of any internetwork protocol address of the secondary node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the method comprising:
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(a) transmitting a first packet from a terminal to a secondary node of the plurality of secondary nodes, the first packet having an internetwork portion with a destination internetwork address of a destination host and having a secondary media access control network portion with a destination address of the secondary node; (b) forming, by the secondary node, an intermediate network packet, having a destination address of the primary node on the intermediate network, by encapsulating at least the internetwork portion of the first packet; (c) transmitting the intermediate network packet from the secondary node on the intermediate network to the primary node; and (d) transmitting, by the terminal, a second packet having a destination media access control address of the destination host and a source internetwork address of the terminal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method for distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving a first packet, the first packet having as a destination address an internetwork address of a first terminal of the plurality of terminals; (b) forming a secondary media access control network packet from the first packet; (c) forming an intermediate network packet having, as a destination address, an intermediate network address of a secondary node of the plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary node corresponding to the terminal; (d) transmitting the intermediate network packet to the secondary node; and (e) transmitting the secondary media access control network packet to the terminal. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An apparatus for distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the apparatus comprising:
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a network interface coupleable to a first network for reception of a first packet and for transmission of a second packet, the first packet having as a destination address an internetwork address of a first terminal of the plurality of terminals; a channel interface coupleable to the intermediate network for the reception and transmission of an intermediate network packet; and a processor arrangement coupled to the channel interface, the processor arrangement responsive through a set of program instructions to form a first secondary media access control network packet from the first packet and to form a first intermediate network packet for transmission on the intermediate network via the channel interface, the first intermediate network packet having, as a destination address, an intermediate network address of a secondary node of the plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary node corresponding to the first terminal;
the processor arrangement further responsive to form the second packet from a second intermediate network packet, the second packet having a destination media access control address of a destination host and a source internetwork address of a second terminal of the plurality of terminals. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. An apparatus for distributed internetwork routing of information in a communication system, the communication system having a plurality of terminals in communication with a primary node via a plurality of secondary nodes, the secondary nodes coupled to the primary node via an intermediate network, each terminal coupled to a secondary node via a secondary media access control network, the apparatus comprising:
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a first channel interface coupleable to the intermediate network for reception of a first intermediate network packet and for transmission of a second intermediate network packet; a second interface coupleable to a secondary media access control network for transmission of a first secondary media access control packet to a first terminal of the plurality of terminals and for reception of a second secondary media access control packet from a second terminal of the plurality of terminals; and a processor arrangement coupled to the first channel interface and to the second interface, the processor arrangement responsive through a set of program instructions to form the first secondary media access control packet from the first intermediate network packet by deleting intermediate network information, the processor arrangement further responsive to form the second intermediate network packet from the second secondary media access control packet by encapsulating the second secondary media access control packet in the second intermediate network packet. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A system for distributed internetwork routing of information, the system comprising:
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a primary station forming a primary node in a communication system topology, the primary station coupleable to a first network and coupled to an intermediate network; a plurality of secondary stations forming secondary nodes in the communication system topology, the plurality of secondary stations geographically distributed, the plurality of secondary stations coupled to the intermediate network for communication with the primary station;
each of the plurality of secondary stations coupleable through a secondary media access control network to a number of terminals for communication with said terminals, the primary station and the secondary stations enabling a terminal to receive information from a source host on the first network routed from the primary station and to transmit information routed by the primary station to a destination host on the first network. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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Specification