WAN-span LAN (WSL) networking technology

A computer-readable storage medium configured with software which upon execution by a first device having at least one processor performs a networking process, the networking process comprising:

• receiving a layer 2 frame in a kernel at the first device, the layer 2 frame having a switch source physical address which identifies a first switch as a frame source, a switch destination physical address which identifies a frame destination, and a payload which includes a user frame, the user frame having user source physical address which identifies a user source computer, a user destination physical address which identifies a user destination computer, and a payload which includes a user IP (internet protocol) datagram;
• obtaining within the first device an IP address of a second device which is physically separated from the first device by at least one mile;
• adding an IP header to the layer 2 frame within the first device, thereby creating within the first device a layer 3 packet which contains the layer 2 frame, the packet IP header having a source IP address which is an IP address of the first device, the packet IP header having a destination IP address which is the obtained IP address of the second device;
• reinjecting the layer 2 frame into the kernel within the layer 3 packet, for processing as part of the layer 3 packet;
• and
• transmitting the layer 3 packet toward the second device through a wide area network interface of the first device.

A first network extension device comprising:

• at least one processor;
• a memory in operable communication with the processor;
• and
• a WSL module comprising WSL hardware operating with WSL software to perform WSL operations which extend LAN communication across a WAN, “LAN” denoting “local area network”, “WAN” denoting “wide area network”, “WSL” denoting “WAN-spanning LAN”, the WSL module comprising a network interface card and a portion of the memory which is configured the WSL software, the WSL operations comprising operations which (a) add an IP header to a LAN frame received in a kernel of the first network extension device, the LAN frame having a switch source physical address which identifies a first switch as a source of the LAN frame, the LAN frame being a layer 2 frame, the first switch physically located within two miles of the first network extension device, the IP header having a destination IP address which identifies a second network extension device physically located more than five miles away from the first network extension device, (b) create a layer 3 packet containing the IP header and the LAN frame, (c) reinject the LAN frame in the kernel within the layer 3 packet, for processing as part of the layer 3 packet, and (d) transmit the layer 3 packet toward the second network extension device through the wide area network interface of the first network extension device.