Methods and apparatus for reducing frame overhead on local area networks

An article of manufacture, comprising:

• a machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
• generate a frame to communicate information on a local area network, the frame including a first header and a second header, the first header including a logical source address and a logical destination address;
• identify a physical source address;
• incorporate the physical source address into the second header;
• correlate the logical destination address with a physical destination address;
• incorporate the physical destination address into the second header;
• remove the logical source address and the logical destination address from the first header;
• and
• transmit the frame on the local area network.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory, coupled to the processor, to store a plurality of machine instructions;
• and
• a communications interface, coupled to the processor, to enable the apparatus to connect to a local area network to receive and transmit frames via a communications link;
• wherein execution of the machine instructions by the processor causes the apparatus to generate a frame to communicate information on the local area network, the frame including a first header and a second header, the first header including a logical source address and a logical destination address, to identify a physical source address, to incorporate the physical source address into the second header, to correlate the logical destination address with a physical destination address, to incorporate the physical destination address into the second header, to remove the logical source address and the logical destination address from the first header, and to transmit the frame on the local area network.