Router operating methods and apparatus using virtual VPN instances for hosts of remote extranet VPNs

A router comprising:

• a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) instances for a plurality of VPNs associated with a plurality of IDs, each VPN instance comprising a forwarding table instance for storing a plurality of host-to-router mappings of the VPN;
• a virtual VPN instance for a virtual VPN associated with an ID of a remote extranet VPN, the virtual VPN instance comprising a cache for storing a host-to-router mapping of the remote extranet VPN;
• and
• one or more pointers or links associated with the virtual VPN instance, for updating one or more host-to-router mappings in one or more of the forwarding tables of the VPN instances.

A method comprising:

• at a router configured to provide a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) instances for a plurality of VPNs associated with a plurality of IDs, where each VPN instance comprises a forwarding table instance for storing a plurality of host-to-router mappings:
• receiving a host-to-router mapping associated with an ID of a remote extranet VPN;
• creating a virtual VPN instance for a virtual VPN associated with the ID of the remote extranet VPN, the virtual VPN instance comprising a cache for storing the host-to-router mapping associated with the ID of the remote extranet VPN;
• and
• updating one or more of the host-to router mappings in one or more of the forwarding table instances of the VPNs in accordance with the host-to-router mapping in the virtual VPN instance.