VLAN frame format
US5959990A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 12, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W84/18
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a network device such as a network switch having a port coupled to a communications medium dedicated to a single virtual local area network and another port coupled to a communications medium shared among multiple virtual local area networks for transmitting data frames between the dedicated communications medium and the shared communications medium, a method of identifying the virtual network associated with each data frame received by the network switch when transmitting the data frames over the shared communications medium. The method comprises receiving data frames from the dedicated communications medium coupled to one port, and, with respect to each data frame so received, inserting a type or length field and a virtual network identifier field either between or before the Ethernet type field (of an Ethernet data frame) or the length field (of an IEEE 802-based data frame) and the data field, placing the contents of the Ethernet type or length field in the inserted type or length field, changing the contents of the Ethernet type or length field to indicate the data frame comprises a new type field and a virtual network identifier field, placing a value in said virtual netwo…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.