Virtual MAC address, mask-based, packet forwarding
AssigneeHewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
InventorYubing Song
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of a packet is determined. In response to determining that the destination MAC address is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address, the packet is encapsulated with a Very Large Layer 2 (VLL2) network protocol header, and sent to an access device associated with the access device, mask-based virtual MAC address.
Claims20
A method for forwarding a packet, comprising:
- obtaining a primary packet;
- in response to determining that a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of the primary packet is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address, encapsulating the primary packet with a Very Large Layer 2 (VLL2) network protocol header;
- and
- sending the encapsulated primary packet to an access device associated with the access device, mask-based virtual MAC address,
- wherein the VLL2 network protocol is a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (Trill) protocol or a Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) protocol.
A switch, comprising:
- a first storage, to store machine readable instructions;
- a second storage, to store a Layer 2 forwarding table;
- and
- a processor, to execute the machine readable instructions to perform operations comprising:
- obtaining a primary packet;
- in response to determining that a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of the primary packet is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address, encapsulating the primary packet with a Very Large Layer 2 (VLL2) network protocol header, wherein determining that a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of the primary packet is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address comprises determining whether the virtual MAC address and the access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address have a same data center identifier and a same access device identifier;
- and
- sending the encapsulated primary packet to an access device associated with the access device, mask-based virtual MAC address.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
- obtaining a primary packet;
- determining whether a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of the primary packet is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address based on determining whether the virtual MAC address and the access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address have a same data center identifier and a same access device identifier;
- in response to determining that a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of the primary packet is a virtual MAC address and belongs to an access device, mask-based, virtual MAC address, encapsulating the primary packet with a Very Large Layer 2 (VLL2) network protocol header
- sending the encapsulated primary packet to an access device associated with the access device, mask-based virtual MAC address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.