System and method for resolving network addresses for network devices on distributed network subnets

A method for traffic gating in a computer network comprising a plurality of subnets, the method comprising:

• receiving a plurality of subnet initialization records on a broadcast monitoring network entity, each subnet initialization record comprising a subnet identifier and at least one second protocol network address of at least one network element arrange to provide gating services for network devices on a subnet associated with the subnet identifier;
• receiving a first address resolution protocol request message on the broadcast monitoring network entity from a first network device, the first address resolution protocol request comprising a request for a second protocol network address of a second network device;
• generating a second address resolution request message on the broadcast monitoring network entity, the second address resolution request message comprising a request for the second protocol network address of the second network device;
• sending the second address resolution request message from the broadcast monitoring network entity;
• determining whether an address resolution protocol reply message to the second address resolution request message from the second network device is received on the broadcast monitoring network entity;
• if not
• determining whether the first network device is in a local routing table on the broadcast monitoring network entity;
• if so,
• determining a network subnet associated with the first network device using a first protocol network address of the first network device;
• determining a second protocol network address of a network element associated with the network subnet of the first network device and arranged to provide traffic gating services to network devices on the network subnet;
• and
• sending an address resolution protocol reply message to the first network device, the address resolution protocol reply message comprising the second protocol network address of the network element.

A broadcast monitoring device on a network subnet comprising:

• at least one traffic gating table comprising a plurality of subnet initialization records, each subnet initialization record comprising a subnet identifier and at least one physical network address of a network entity arranged to provide traffic gating to network devices on a subnet associated with the subnet identifier;
• a first set of instructions implemented to generate a second address resolution protocol request upon receiving a first address resolution request message on the broadcast monitoring device from a first network device, the first request message and the second request message comprising a request for a physical address of a second network device;
• a second set of instructions implemented to determine whether an address resolution response form the second network device is received on the broadcast monitoring device responsive to the second request message sent from the broadcast monitoring device;
• a third set of instructions implemented to determine a subnet of the first network device using a network address of the first network device and further to determine a physical network address of a network element to provide traffic gating for the first network device using the plurality of subnet initialization records based on the subnet associated with the first network device;
• and
• a fourth set of instructions implemented to generate an address resolution protocol response message comprising the physical network address of the network element arranged to provide traffic gating for the first network device, and to send the address resolution protocol reply message to the first network device.