Inter-LAN connecting device with combination of routing and switching functions

• US 5,802,047 A
• Filed: 05/31/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Safourek, Benedict V.
• Application Number:
  US08/658,964
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/357, 370/359, 370/362, 370/401, 370/402, 370/404, 370/405, 370/445, 370/911
• US Class Current: 370/359
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge

Abstract

When a host connected to physical ports carries out communication outside virtual LANs formed by grouping the physical ports, a CPU for a switch determines a MAC address of the router as a destination MAC address corresponding to logic ports grouped in the same virtual LAN including a receive port to receive a packet and writes the packet and a virtual LAN number attached thereto into a first buffer for switch-router communication. A CPU for a router writes the packet written in the first buffer for switch-router communication along with the virtual LAN number into a second buffer for switch-router communication. The CPU for the switch writes the packet written in the second buffer for switch-router communication into a third buffer for physical port transmit-receive to transmit the packet to the physical ports.

Claims

1. An inter-LAN connecting device, comprising:

a plurality of physical Ethernet ports connected to respective host apparatuses;

a plurality of logic ports corresponding to the physical Ethernet ports;

switch means for grouping the physical Ethernet ports and the logic ports to control communication within groups;

router means for receiving a packet from said switch means which is addressed to a destination outside of the group which originated said received packet and for implementing a routing of packets transmitted between groups; and

a plurality of logic interfaces predetermined for each group, said logic interfaces connected between said router means and said switch means to allow communications between different groups through said switch means and said router means, said logic interfaces being reconfigurable based on the grouping of the physical Ethernet ports by said switch.

2. An inter-LAN connecting device of claim 1, wherein the logic interface includes means for storing the packets to be communicated between the switch means and the router means.

3. An inter-LAN connecting device, comprising:

a plurality of physical Ethernet ports connected to respective host apparatus;

a plurality of logic ports corresponding to the physical Ethernet ports;

switch means for grouping the physical Ethernet ports and the logic ports to control communication within groups;

a plurality of reconfigurable logic interfaces predetermined for each group;

router means for implementing a routing among the logic interfaces as transmit-receive interfaces between said router means and said switch means; and

means for either inputting or outputting packets from the logic ports corresponding to the logic interfaces;

wherein the switch means includes a learning means for learning combinations between destination information of the packets and the physical Ethernet ports by transmitting the packets to the physical Ethernet ports.

4. An inter-LAN connecting device for connection subnetworks in a network that transfers data packets, comprising:

a plurality of physical Ethernet ports connected to respective host apparatuses;

a plurality of logic ports corresponding to the physical Ethernet ports;

switch means for grouping the physical Ethernet ports and the logic ports to control communication within groups;

a plurality of reconfigurable logic interfaces predetermined for each group, said logic interfaces including means for storing the packets to be communicated between the switch means and the router means;

router means for implementing a routing among the logic interfaces as transmit-receive interfaces between said router means and said switch means; and

means for either inputting or outputting packets from the logic ports corresponding to the logic interfaces

wherein the switch means includes a learning means for learning combinations between destination information of the packets and the physical Ethernet ports by transmitting the packets to the physical Ethernet ports.

5. An inter-LAN connecting device for connecting multiple subnetworks in a larger network, said device comprising:

a plurality of physical LAN ports connected to respective host apparatuses;

a switch processor operable to logically group physical LAN ports as virtual LANs and control the transfer of data packets between LAN ports that are logically grouped together as a virtual LAN;

a router operable to control inter-virtual LAN transfer of data packets by receiving said inter-virtual LAN data packets from said switch processor and routing said received information to an appropriate virtual LAN through said switch processor; and

a logical interface between said switch processor and said router, said interface configurable based on the grouping of LAN ports as virtual LANs.