Method and apparatus for integrating routing and bridging functions
First Claim
1. A method for data transfer between a routed network and a bridge network, comprising:
- identifying a first bridge interface that has been integrated routing and bridging (“
IRB”
) enabled bridge interface between a first host in a local bridge network and a bridging engine;
adding a first unnumbered internet Protocol (“
IP”
) interface between the first host and a routing engine in accordance with the first bridge interface; and
forwarding packets directly by the routing engine from the routing engine to the first host via the first unnumbered IP interface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for routing data packets between a routed network and a local bridged network using integrated routing and bridging (“IRB”) functions are disclosed. In one embodiment a bridge interface between a host in the local bridge network and a bridging engine is IRB enabled. An unnumbered Internet Protocol (“IP”) interface is then added between the host and a routing engine in accordance with the IRB enabled bridge interface. Subsequently packets received from the routed network are forwarded directly by the routing engine to the host in the local bridge network via the unnumbered IP interface, thereby bypassing the bridging engine. Through use of an embodiment of the present invention, packet processing delay in each network device is reduced (because of bypassing the bridging engine), thereby decreasing packet latency in an ever growing network.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for data transfer between a routed network and a bridge network, comprising:
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identifying a first bridge interface that has been integrated routing and bridging (“
IRB”
) enabled bridge interface between a first host in a local bridge network and a bridging engine;adding a first unnumbered internet Protocol (“
IP”
) interface between the first host and a routing engine in accordance with the first bridge interface; andforwarding packets directly by the routing engine from the routing engine to the first host via the first unnumbered IP interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for routing data, comprising:
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receiving an initial Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) packet over a routed network to be transmitted to a first host;searching a first lookup table to determine a first bridge group in accordance with information stored in a header of the initial IP packet; searching a second lookup table to identifying a Media Access Control (“
MAC”
) address associated with the first host after obtaining information relating to the first bridge group;obtaining a first unnumbered IP interface associated to a first bridge interface of the first host; and storing the first unnumbered IP interface in a new entry of the first lookup table. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus of transferring data, comprising:
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means for identifying a first integrated routing and bridging (“
IRB”
) enabled bridge interface between a first host and a bridging engine;means for adding a first unnumbered Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) interface between the first host and a routing engine corresponding to the first IRB enabled bridge interface;means for encapsulating a first host destination hardware address associated with the first host to a first IP packet; and means for sending the first IP packet to the first host from the routing engine via the first unnumbered IP interface. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification