Nortel Networks Corporation

Rockstar Consortium US LP

Marcel Wiget

Geoffrey Mattson

Robert Pluim

Simon Bryden

Loa Andersson

Tove Madsen

Simon David Bryden

Simon David Blyden

A Multicast-Enabled Address Resolution Protocol (ME-ARP) is disclosed. This ME-ARP allows the building of independent IP based Virtual Private LAN segments (VPLS) over a multicast enabled IP backbone using stateless tunnels and optimal VPLS traffic forwarding. Each VPLS has an associated IP subnet which is completely independent from other VPLS or the underlying IP backbone itself. Each Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) device needs only to be configured with a VPLS identifier and its serving IP subnet per VPLS designated interface.

Multicast-enabled address resolution protocol (ME-ARP)

Multi-case enabled address resolution protocol

Multi-cast enabled address resolution protocol (ME-ARP)

Data packets are transmitted from a network device having plural network interfaces. One of the plural network interfaces is designated for receiving data packets from a source address. First and second data packets are received from a device at the source address. It is determined if the second data packet was received over a network interface on the network device other than the designated network interface. If the second data packet was received over a network interface other than the designated network interface, it is determined if the first and second data packets were received within a predetermined period of time. If the first and second data packets were received within the predetermined period of time, the second data packet is discarded. If the first and second data packets were not received within the predetermined period of time, the second data packet is transmitted from the network device and a forwarding table on the network device is updated.

Method of and device for transmitting data packets on a network

An apparatus and method of managing a virtual private network having a set of network devices maintains a network device memory set for storing a set of network device identifiers that identifies each of the set of network device. More particularly, a request to join the virtual private network is received from a given network device having a given network device identifier that identifies the given network device. The set of network device identifiers then is retrieved from the network device memory set to identify all network devices in the set of network devices. A notify message then is forwarded to each of the set of network devices, and a join message is forwarded to the given network device. The notify message includes the given network device identifier, while the join message includes the set of network device identifiers. The given network device identifier then is stored in the network device memory set.

Virtual private network management system

A system, device, and method for allocating virtual circuits in a communication network allocates a virtual circuit for a particular device, establishes a tunnel for communicating with a second device, and maps the virtual circuit to the tunnel based upon an address resolution request received over either the virtual circuit or the tunnel. Protocol messages received over the virtual circuit are forwarded over the corresponding tunnel. Protocol messages received over the tunnal are forwarded over the corresponding virtual circuit.

System, device, and method for allocating virtual circuits in a communication network

Growing community of inventors

Antibes, France

Marcel Wiget