Method for interconnecting local area networks or network segments and a local area network bridge

A local area network bridge for the interconnection of local area networks or network segments, comprising:

• two network interfaces and
• means for analyzing the physical address contained in each frame to be transmitted in a local area network, including:
• means for classifying frames to be forwarded across the bridge on the basis of their length into at least two length categories each having a respective priority status;
• means for comparing the source and destination addresses of each respective frame to be passed across the bridge with the corresponding addresses of frames already placed in a transmission queue and having a lower priority status than said respective frame;
• and
• at least two buffers dividing the frames to be passed across the bridge on the basis of the length classification and address checking, into at least two transmission queues having different priority statuses.

A method for providing routing network services, comprising:

• interconnecting a plurality of customer-specific local area networks and a public network via a respective plurality of transmission lines, including connecting each local area network to the respective said transmission line by a respective bridge, and providing respective customer-specific routers for said transmission lines, each on the public network side of the respective bridge;
• and
• for each said local area network,
• receiving local area network frames in the respective bridge and forwarding each across the respective bridge only if its destination address refers to the respective local area network;
• classifying each frame to be forwarded, as to its length, into a respective one of two different length categories;
• and
• using the respective obtained length classifications in the transmission of the frames, for assigning priority to at least some of the frames which are shorter over at least some of the remaining frames which are longer, a frame classified as short being assigned priority over other frames if there does not simultaneously occur a frame which has no priority and which is transmitted from a same transmitting party to a same receiving party as said frame classified as short.