Patent · US Active

Mechanism for enabling layer two host addresses to be shielded from the switches in a network

US9948576B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
21References
20Claims
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Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 14, 2016
Grant dateApr 17, 2018
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 15, 2036

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2101/622
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and systems for shielding layer two host addresses (e.g., MAC addresses) from a network are provided. An edge network device interposed between a network of switches and multiple local hosts receives from a first local host a first packet destined for a first destination host. The first local host has a first layer 2 (L2) address and a first layer 3 (L3) address associated therewith. The first packet includes the first L2 address as a source L2 address of the first packet, and includes the first L3 address as a source L3 address of the first packet. The edge network device shields the first L2 address from the network of switches by replacing the source L2 address for the first packet with a first substitute L2 address of a first communication channel of the edge network device before sending the first packet to the network of switches.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.