Virtual switching for interconnected networks

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a first interface capable of sponsoring a first protocol, a first service translation layer converting data formatted in the first protocol into streams, the first service translation layer extracting and appending a first path identifier to the streams, a core responsive to the first service translator for obtaining the streams and determining a second path identifier therefrom, the core transferring the streams according to the second path identifier, a second service translation layer accepting the transferred streams, the second service translation layer converting the transferred streams into data formatted according to a second protocol, and a second interface for asserting the data formatted into the second protocol. A system comprising a virtual omni-user switching (VOSR) network device, a first network coupled to the VOSR, the VOSR accepting data from the first network, and a second network coupled to the VOSR, the VOSR converting the accepted data into a format compatible with the second network, the VOSR capable of switching data among the first and second networks and other networks coupled to the VOSR. A method comprising creating tunnel segments in a public network supplied data pipe, maintaining a tunnel mapping in private networks bridged by the data pipe, and switching data between devices in one of the private networks with devices in another of the private networks bridged by the data pipe, the tunnel mapping determining the switching, the switching performed over the data pipe in the tunnels in a fashion transparent to the public network.