Seamless communication service with intelligent edge devices

Patent 6337863 Issued on January 8, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 15, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventors

Assignee

Alcatel Interworking, Inc.

Application

No. 639371 filed on 08/15/2000

US Classes:

370/395.53, Emulated LAN (LANE/ELAN/VLAN, e.g., Ethernet or token ring legacy LAN over a single ATM network/LAN)370/437Adaptive selection of channel assignment technique

Examiners

Primary: Vincent, David

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP

International Class

H04L 012/28

Abstract

A service for providing seamless communication between stations over an ATM network. Seamless communication services are distributed among intelligent "peer" members. A single service member is selected as a "master" member for purposes of service configuration. The master member advertises the addresses of all members to every other member so that every member can configure virtual circuits to every other member. In the provision of services, each member constructs a member table which associates other members with a point-to-point virtual circuit and a learning table which associates globally recognized representations of addresses of stations behind other peer members with a point-to-point virtual circuit. The service supports multiple LAN media and multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs).

Other References

Stallings, Local and Metropolitan Area Networks, PP: 338-351, 1997.
Sackett, ATM & Multiprotocol Networking, PP: 267-288.
Perlman, Interconnections: Bridges and Routers, pp. 83-97 (1992)
The ATM Forum Technical Committee: LAN Emulation Over ATM, Verison 1.0 (Jan. 1995