# US 2014/0156906 A1 · Virtual Trunking Over Physical Links > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156906 A1 - Document ID: US20140156906A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/766,629 - Filed: 2013-02-13 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Broadcom Corporation - Applicants: Broadcom Corporation - Inventors: Biju Babu; Mohan Kalkunte - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156906A1 ## CPC - G06F 13/4022: {using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence)} - G06F 13/4027: {using bus bridges (G06F13/4022 takes precedence)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A technique in which at least one controlling bridge controls data traffic among devices located lower in hierarchy below the controlling bridge. Those devices include a plurality of porting devices, such as line modules and port extenders, which ultimately communicate with an end point device, referred to as a station. At least two physical pathways from a controlling bridge to a station are grouped together into a virtual trunk to provide multiple physical pathways for packet transfer when operating in a dual-homed mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: at least one controlling bridge; a plurality of porting devices coupled to the at least one controlling bridge, in which the at least one controlling bridge and the plurality of porting devices are configured in an hierarchical arrangement with the plurality of porting devices lower in the hierarchical arrangement than the at least one controlling bridge; and a plurality of endpoint devices coupled to the plurality of porting devices in the hierarchical arrangement to transfer data within the system, in which one endpoint device of the plurality of endpoint devices is configured to have a plurality of different physical paths to the at least one controlling bridge and in which the different physical paths are grouped together into a virtual trunk, wherein the at least one controlling bridge identifies the virtual trunk when transmitting the data from the at least one controlling bridge to the one endpoint device and selects one of the different physical paths to the one endpoint device to transfer the data to the one endpoint device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of controlling bridges are configured at a top of the hierarchical arrangement with the plurality of porting devices and the plurality of endpoint devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of controlling bridges maintain identification of the virtual trunk and one of the plurality of controlling bridges to determine which physical path of the plurality of different physical paths of the virtual trunk to use in transferring data from the controlling bridge to the end point device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of porting devices includes a plurality of line modules coupled to the plurality of controlling bridges at a hierarchy level below the controlling bridges, wherein the different physical paths of the virtual trunk are configured using at least two line modules. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of porting devices includes a plurality of port extending devices coupled to the plurality of line modules at a hierarchy level below the line modules. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the one endpoint device is coupled to one of the plurality of port extending devices by a plurality of physical connection links. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the data transfer from one of the controlling bridge is unicast data flow. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the data transfer from one of the controlling bridge is multicast data flow. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a second endpoint device within the system has only a single physical path to couple to the at least one controlling bridge, wherein the system operates having one or more endpoint devices coupled to the at least one controlling bridge via multiple physical paths and one or more endpoint devices coupled to the at least one controlling bridge via a single physical path. ### Claim 10 An apparatus to operate as a bridging device comprising: at least one data interface to couple to a plurality of porting devices, in which the apparatus and the plurality of porting devices are configured in an hierarchical arrangement with the plurality of porting devices lower in the hierarchical arrangement than the apparatus, and a plurality of endpoint devices coupled to the plurality of porting devices in the hierarchical arrangement to transfer data from the apparatus to one endpoint device of the plurality of endpoint devices; and a controller coupled to the at least one data interface, wherein the controller is operable to configure a virtual trunk to have a plurality of different physical paths from the at least one data interface to the one endpoint device and to select one of the different physical paths to the one endpoint device to transfer the data to the one endpoint device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is configured at a top of the hierarchical arrangement with the plurality of porting devices and the plurality of endpoint devices. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of porting devices includes a plurality of line modules coupled to the apparatus at a hierarchy level below the apparatus and configured by the controller, wherein the different physical paths of the virtual trunk are configured using at least two line modules. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of porting devices includes a plurality of port extending devices coupled to the plurality of line modules at a hierarchy level below the plurality of line modules and configured by the controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one endpoint device is coupled to one of the plurality of port extending devices by a plurality of physical connection links. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a second endpoint device within the hierarchical arrangement has only a single physical path to couple to the apparatus, wherein the apparatus operate within the hierarchical arrangement having one or more endpoint devices coupled to the at least one data interface via multiple physical paths and one or more endpoint devices coupled to the at least one data interface via a single physical path. ### Claim 16 A method comprising: configuring a bridge controller to operate with a plurality of porting devices that are coupled to the bridge controller, in which the bridge controller and the plurality of porting devices are configured in an hierarchical arrangement with the plurality of porting devices lower in the hierarchical arrangement than the bridge controller, and a plurality of endpoint devices coupled to the plurality of porting devices in the hierarchical arrangement to transfer data from the bridge controller to one endpoint device of the plurality of endpoint devices; and configuring a virtual trunk to have a plurality of different physical paths from the bridge controller to the one endpoint device and to select one of the different physical paths to the one endpoint device to transfer the data to the one endpoint device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further including configuring the plurality of porting devices to include a plurality of line modules coupled to the bridge controller at a hierarchy level below the bridge controller, wherein the different physical paths of the virtual trunk are configured using at least two line modules. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further including configuring the plurality of porting devices to include a plurality of port extending devices coupled to the plurality of line modules at a hierarchy level below the plurality of line modules. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further including configuring the one endpoint device to be coupled to one of the plurality of port extending devices by a plurality of physical connection links. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further including configuring a second endpoint device within the hierarchical arrangement to have only a single physical path to couple to the bridge controller, wherein the bridge controller operates within the hierarchical arrangement to have one or more endpoint devices coupled to the bridge controller via multiple physical paths and one or more endpoint devices coupled to the bridge controller via a single physical path.