Method and apparatus for forwarding packets
AssigneeAlcatel-Lucent Canada Inc.
InventorsIan H Duncan, Ken Young, Grant Hall, James Watt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A forwarder for use within an internetworking system operating over an ATM backbone is provided. The physical internetworking devices within the system are shared to provide the internetworking functions while servicing two or more distinct and isolated user networks. This is accomplished by logically partitioning the devices into distinct sub-elements which provide all or part of the internetworking functions. These sub-elements are uniquely allocated to independent realms which are then assigned to specific user networks.
Claims3
An edge forwarder for use in a packet forwarding system in a communications network providing internetworking services to a plurality of distinct and isolated user networks, wherein said edge forwarder terminates a plurality of interfaces and forwards packets received on said interfaces in accordance with forwarding information, the forwarding information including multiple forwarding rules being particular to the respective interfaces of the corresponding user networks, and wherein said edge forwarder is adapted to forward each packet according to an appropriate forwarding rule selected from the multiple forwarding rules based on the interface from which the packet is received and a destination address in the received packet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.