Limiting MAC address learning on access network switches
US8681661B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 25, 2011 |
| Grant date | Mar 25, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 22, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L61/103
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A LAN includes a CORE switch linked to some number of TOR switches, and each of the TOR switches are linked directly to some number of host devices. Each of the switches in the LAN operate to process and transmit data frames they receive from neighboring LAN devices. Each TOR switch in the LAN builds and maintains a layer-2 forwarding table that is comprised of MAC address information learned from frames they receive from neighboring LAN devices. Selected ports/VLANs on some or all of the TOR devices are designated to be CORE/switch facing ports (CFP) or host facing ports (HFP). Each of the CFPs are configured to only learn the MAC address in unicast frames it receives and each of the HFPs can be configured to learn the MAC address of both unicast and multicast data frames provided the destination MAC address included in the unicast frame is known.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.