Network compatibility

• US 6,721,353 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Shalabh, Taubert, Derek A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHU, PHUONG M
• Application Number:
  US09/598,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 375/220, 370/353, 370/389, 370/419, 370/466, 370/467, 370/352, 709/250, 709/236
• US Class Current: 375/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for improving network compatibility, said method including but not limited to the following: receiving a first-protocol data-link layer packet having a first-protocol address, the first-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating a network-layer packet bound for a network layer entity native to a second-protocol data link layer environment; directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address; and transmitting the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet into the second-protocol data-link layer environment. In other embodiments, hardware and/or software effect the foregoing referenced method.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first-protocol data-link layer packet having a first-protocol address, the first-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating a network-layer packet bound for a network layer entity native to a second-protocol data link layer environment;

directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address; and

transmitting the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet into the second-protocol data-link layer environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-layer packet further comprises:

an indicator of a network layer transmission selected from the group comprising unicast transmission, multicast transmission, directed broadcast transmission, and broadcast transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network layer packet is of a protocol selected from the group comprising (IP) internet protocol, IPX (internetwork packet exchange protocol), and AppleTalk protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address further includes:

replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header further includes:

replacing a multicast first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header selected from the group comprising a unicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header, and a multicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header further includes:

replacing a unicast first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one unicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet source header with a second-protocol data-link layer packet source header.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with a second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity further includes:

associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity internal to a compatibility device with a second protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device; and

associating a second-protocol data-link layer entity internal to the compatibility device with a first-protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity further includes:

associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity internal to a compatibility device with a plurality of second-protocol data-link entities external to the compatibility device; and

associating a second-protocol data-link layer entity internal to the compatibility device with a first-protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address further includes:

detecting a network layer source address native to a first-protocol data-link layer environment and a network layer destination address native to a second protocol data-link layer environment; and

re-addressing the first-protocol data-link layer packet into a first-protocol address space reserved for the translation from the first-protocol to the second protocol.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said re-addressing the first-protocol data-link layer packet into a first-protocol address space reserved for the translation from the first-protocol to the second protocol further includes:

creating at least one first-protocol data-link layer packet, each at least one first-protocol packet having an address in the first-protocol address space, selected from the group comprising unicast address, a multicast address, a directed broadcast address, and a broadcast address.

14. A system comprising:

means for receiving a first-protocol data-link layer packet having a first-protocol address, the first-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating a network-layer packet bound for a network layer entity native to a second-protocol data link layer environment;

means for directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address; and

means for transmitting the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet into the second-protocol data-link layer environment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network-layer packet further comprises:

an indicator of a network layer transmission selected from the group comprising unicast transmission, multicast transmission, directed broadcast transmission, and broadcast transmission.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network layer packet is of a protocol selected from the group comprising (IP) internet protocol, IPX (internetwork packet exchange protocol), and AppleTalk protocol.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said means for directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address further includes:

means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header further includes:

means for replacing a multicast first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header selected from the group comprising a unicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header, and a multicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header further includes:

means for replacing a unicast first-protocol data-link layer packet destination header with at least one unicast second-protocol data-link layer packet destination header.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet source header with a second-protocol data-link layer packet source header.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for replacing a first-protocol data-link layer packet header with a second-protocol data-link layer packet header further includes:

means for associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said means for associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity further includes:

means for associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity internal to a compatibility device with a second protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device; and

means for associating a second-protocol data-link layer entity internal to the compatibility device with a first-protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said means for associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity with at least one second-protocol data-link layer entity further includes:

means for associating a first-protocol data-link layer entity internal to a compatibility device with a plurality of second-protocol data-link entities external to the compatibility device; and

means for associating a second-protocol data-link layer entity internal to the compatibility device with a first-protocol data-link entity external to the compatibility device.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein said means for directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address further includes:

means for detecting a network layer source address native to a first-protocol data-link layer environment and a network layer destination address native to a second protocol data-link layer environment; and

means for re-addressing the first-protocol data-link layer packet into a first-protocol address space reserved for the translation from the first-protocol to the second protocol.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said means for re-addressing the first-protocol data-link layer packet into a first-protocol address space reserved for the translation from the first-protocol to the second protocol further includes:

means for creating at least one first-protocol data-link layer packet, each at least one first-protocol packet having an address in the first-protocol address space, selected from the group comprising unicast address, a multicast address, a directed broadcast address, and a broadcast address.

27. The system of claim 14 wherein the system is a router comprising:

at least one communication system component selected from a processor, a memory, and a switch.

28. A program product comprising:

signal bearing media bearing programming adapted to perform the following operations;

receiving a first-protocol data-link layer packet having a first-protocol address, the first-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating a network-layer packet bound for a network layer entity native to a second-protocol data link layer environment;

directly translating the first-protocol data-link layer packet to at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet encapsulating at least a part of the network layer packet, where the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet has addressing comprising a pre-defined second protocol companion address of the first-protocol address; and

transmitting the at least one second-protocol data-link layer packet into the second-protocol data-link layer environment.

29. The program product of claim 28, wherein said signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

30. The program product of claim 28, wherein said signal bearing media comprises transmission media.