Process and apparatus for the operation of virtual private networks on a common data packet communication network

US6438127B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Mannesmann AG · DE

Inventors

• Herve Le Goff · Kelkheim, DE
• Norbert Haertelt · Mainz, DE
• Markus G. Hies · Wiesbaden, DE
• Helmut Oberheim · Frankfurt, DE
• Michael Schambach · Dortmund, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 12, 1998
• Grant date: Aug 20, 2002
• Expiry date: Mar 12, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L12/4641
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Economical and dependable networking of spatially separated branches of an organization is made possible for a plurality of individual subscribers with spatially separated branches by means of an arrangement and process for the operation of layer-3 virtual private networks (VPN A, VPN B) on a common data packet.communication network (e.g. OSI L3 data packet communication network 1). A logical separation of the layer-3 VPNs (VPNA, VPNB) is accomplished by allocating disjoint partial address spaces of a given homogeneous total address space to these L3 VPNs. A virtual private network identification number VPN ID is assigned to each L3 VPN and used to identify the disjoint partial address space by forming a part of the address. The VPN ID characterizing the L3 VPN starts at a fixed bit position in the individual subscriber address of each individual subscriber of the L3 VPN and may have a variable or a fixed length. Secure separation of the L3 VPNs is implemented by filtering of routing information and/or data packets based on the VPN ID.