International Business Machines Corporation

Jon Michael Houghton

Edward Joel Rovner

John Kevin Frick

Daniel Dean Heimsoth

A data communication network includes a network client, a network server, and a name caching entity located between the network client and the network server. The network server is coupled to the data communication network by a plurality of network adapters that each have a different network (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC)) address, but share a common logical name. The name caching entity includes a name cache, which stores the common logical name shared by the server's network adapters in association with the network address of one of the network adapters. By reference to the name cache, the name caching entity is able to convert broadcast frames to unicast frames, thereby advantageously reducing broadcast frames in the network. The name caching entity will disassociate the logical name and the network address in the name cache in response to a failure to detect a frame indicating the establishment of a session with the network server within a selected interval of transmission of a frame requesting establishment of a session with the network server. In this manner, the network client can establish a session with the network server through another network adapter in cases in which the network adapter whose network address is stored in the name cache cannot support an additional session.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Jon Michael Houghton