Method of merging networks across a common backbone network

A method of merging at least some of a plurality of destinations in at least one network that communicate by transmitting data packets across a common backbone network, each of said destinations operating under a first protocol and having a unique network address in said at least one network associated therewith, each of said destinations being attached to one of a plurality of routers, said backbone network operating under a second protocol, said first protocol and said second protocol being identical, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning domain numbers to each of a plurality of destinations;
• configuring at least some of said routers with mapping information that relates a domain number to each specific destination;
• configuring said routers with mapping information to allow communication between destinations assigned to specific domains and to prevent communication between destinations assigned to other specific domains;
• and
• encapsulating said data packets transmitted by said routers with information indicative of the domain in which the destination transmitting the data packet resides and with information indicative of the domain in which the destination to which the data packet is sent.

A method of merging at least some of a plurality of destinations in at least one network across a common backbone network, each of said destinations operating under a first protocol and having a unique network address in its respective network associated therewith, each of said destinations being attached to one of a plurality of routers, said backbone network operating under a second protocol, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning domain numbers to each of a plurality of destinations;
• configuring at least some of said routers with mapping information that relates a domain number to each specific destination;
• transmitting data packets between destinations in the same domain, said data packets being encapsulated with information indicative of said domain;
• configuring said routers with mapping information to allow communication between destinations assigned to specific domains and to prevent communication between destinations assigned to other specific domains;
• controlling the merging of said destinations according to said mapping information to allow communication between domains configured to communicate with each other while preventing communication between domains not configured to communicate with each other;
• and
• transmitting data packets between domains configured to communicate with each other, said data packets being encapsulated with information indicative of the domain from which said data packets originated and the domain to which said data packets are bound.

A method of merging at least some of a plurality of destinations across a hierarchical backbone network, each destination operating under a first protocol, and having a unique destination number, said hierarchical backbone network having at least two levels and operating under a second protocol, said hierarchical backbone network being comprised of a plurality of network areas having at least one level two router located therein, each of said level two routers being capable of inter-area communication, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning an associated domain number to at least some of said routers;
• configuring at least some of said routers with mapping information relating said unique destination numbers to said associated domain number;
• transmitting data packets between destinations having the same domain number, said data packets being encapsulated with information indicative of said domain number;
• configuring said at least some of said routers to allow communication between selected ones of said domains and to prevent communication between other selected ones of said domains;
• configuring at least some of said level two routers to announce the existence of selected destinations in selected domains to other network areas and to withhold announcement of other selected destinations in other selected domains, thereby preventing inter-area communication between destinations in domains, the existence of which are not announced to other network areas;
• and
• transmitting data packets between domains configured to communicate with each other, said data packets being encapsulated with information indicative of the domain from which said data packets originated and the domain to which said data packets are bound.